Tennis Kenya will renovate the Nairobi Club Courts in readiness for the Women’s World Tennis Tour slated for December 30 to January 12.
The work on the facility will begin next week with the laying of the murram surface in a bid to meet the World Tennis Association (WTA) standards, and it will take three weeks to be ready for the event.
Speaking recently TK executive officer, Nancy Nduku said she is confident the court will be ready before the festive season.
“ The rains in the last couple of weeks have wiped out the top surface of the murram courts and that is why we want to put a new one. The renovation should take three weeks and we will be ready by mid-December,” added Nduku.
The Nairobi Club Court surfaces were refurbished last year in preparation for the Billie Jean King Cup, where Team Kenya finished third. Nduku said the final entries for the competition will be announced this week, and top international players are expected to attend the two-week tennis extravaganza.
“We expect players from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France and Spain to be present. Africa will be represented by the likes of Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria,” said Nduku.
Kenya will be represented by Africa Games champion Angela Okutoyi, sibling Rosehilda Asumwa, Alicia Owegi, Cynthia Cheruto and Zimbabwe-based Melissa Mwakha.
Okutoyi, a two-time Kenya Open champion, has been preparing for the tournament by playing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tennis Championships in the United States, where she represents Auburn University.
She has been in fine form, winning the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Lincoln tennis doubles tournament in Nebraska, USA, earlier this month, where she reached the final alongside Merna Refat of Egypt.
They beat Jiangxue Han of China and Amu Zhu of the USA 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 to emerge winners. Okutoyi came unstuck in the semifinals of the singles category, losing to USA’s Savannah Broadus 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.
She said she is in good shape and relishing the battle to defend the title she won last year. “I’m in good shape and I know I will be facing the top players from Europe but am confident I can win the title,” noted Okutoyi.
The prize money for the tournament is Sh7.8 million.
