•Rogoi said with the brilliance of Okutoyi, the likes of Cynthia Cheruto, Rosehilda Asumwa and Alicia Owegi have no choice but to step up
•Rogoi was optimistic his charges would play together in one of the ITF tournaments like Monastir Tunisia later in the year. .
Team Kenya Billie Jean Cup captain Francis Rogoi wants the team exposed as they hunt for promotion to Africa Group Two next year.
Rogoi said the gap between them and champions South Africa and Nigeria is narrowing and with a comprehensive programme of tournaments for the players, he is confident Kenya will gain promotion next year.
"Talent-wise, our girls are good but we need to play more international tournaments especially when it comes to individual matches like the singles. This is where we need to strengthen” added Rogoi
Rogoi said with the brilliance of Okutoyi, the likes of Cynthia Cheruto, Rosehilda Asumwa and Alicia Owegi have no choice but to step up.
"Angela is playing at a different level. She is our top player but in a team tournament, you need everyone else to play at their best and our players will have to improve," observed Rogoi.
For the second consecutive year, Team Kenya led by Africa Games champion Angela Okutoyi settled for the bronze after losing to Nigeria 2-1 and South Africa 3-0 in the Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group III tournament at the Nairobi Club.
The former tennis player said Okutoyi had a slight abdominal strain and Cynthia Cheruto was carrying a knock heading into the two key matches against Nigeria and South Africa.
“Our top two players were not at 100 per cent but going forward, the team needs to play more competitive tournaments,” added Okutoyi.
Team Kenya made quick work of Mauritius, Burundi and Tunisia before coming up short in the final two matches.
Rogoi was optimistic his charges would play together in one of the ITF tournaments like Monastir Tunisia later in the year.
“If we can have the four playing together in one venue, it will be easier to monitor their form. We need to propose to Tennis Kenya to have the four play as many tournaments together before we resume next year,” noted Rogoi.
Okutoyi will play at the Morocco Futures tennis tournament next month while Alicia Owegi is slated to play in Monastir, Tunisia with the duo chasing ranking points.
On completion of the tournaments, Okutoyi and Owegi will go back to their universities in the USA to continue with their academic programme.