Kenya’s women’s tennis team has advanced to the promotional playoffs of the Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group III, securing their spot with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Zimbabwe in Windhoek on Wednesday afternoon.
The win caps off an impressive group stage performance for the Kenyan side, who now have their sights set on promotion to Group II.
The tie began with a setback for Kenya as Melissa Mwakha was defeated by Zimbabwe’s Tadiwanashe Mauchi in a tough three-set match, losing 2-6, 6-1, 2-6.
The pressure then fell on Kenya’s top seed, Angella Okutoyi, to level the tie. The African Games champion rose to the occasion, delivering a composed performance to beat Sasha Natalie Chimedza in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, and bring the score to 1-1.
With the tie on the line, Okutoyi teamed up with Cynthia Wanjala for the decisive doubles match. The pair demonstrated excellent chemistry and coordination, making light work of the Zimbabwean duo of Chimedza and Mauchi with a convincing 6-1, 6-2 victory to seal the win for Kenya.
This latest triumph follows a dominant week for the Kenyan team, who had previously secured back-to-back 3-0 sweeps against Tunisia and Algeria.
With their unbeaten run, the team has now earned the right to compete in the promotional playoffs against Morocco and Botswana.
The Kenyans will be hoping to go one step further than last year’s edition, where they narrowly missed out on promotion after losing to Nigeria and South Africa.
This year, they have a second chance at history, with the opportunity to move closer to a place in Euro and Africa Group II.
