Kenya handed tricky pool in Davis Cup tournament

By Lokeder Natiom

Kenya has been drawn to play against Mozambique, Ghana and Rwanda in the Davis Cup Africa Group 3 tourney that starts Tuesday at the Smash Tennis Academy in Cairo, Egypt.

Kenya will be represented by Ismael Changawa, Kevin Cheruiyot, Albert Njogu and Ibrahim Kibet. Derrick Ominde is a reserve player.

With coach Francis Rogoi's side in Group B of the seven team contest, Egypt, Algeria and Benin are in Group A. Madagascar withdrew from the competition.

The top two teams at the end of the round-robin format advance to the semis, with the winner of Group A facing the runner-up of Group B, and the winner of Group B facing the runner-up of Group A.

The two finalists will advance to the 2022 World Group II Playoffs.

The two teams finishing third in their groups will enter a relegation play-off, with the beaten team joining the team finishing fourth in contesting Africa Group IV in 2022.

In the last Davis Cup Group 3 regional tournament held at the Nairobi Club in 2019, Kenya emerged second to Tunisia to qualify for the 2020 playoffs.

In March 2020, Kenya's hope of featuring in the Euro/Africa Group 2 tournament were shattered after they lost two of their decisive rubbers to Indonesia in the best of five Euro/Africa Group 2 playoffs at the Gelora Bung Karno tennis stadium in Jarkarta.

Kenya's duo of Ismael Changawa and Ibrahim Kibet lost in three straight sets to Christopher Rungkat and David Susanto of Indonesia bringing their lost rubbers up to four from the best of five contest in their doubles match played at the same venue.

The last time Kenya qualified for Euro/Africa Group 2 was in 1992 where they were eliminated in the semifinals, one match shy of the World Group 1 playoffs.

This article was originally published by the Nation. [Photo: Sila Kiplagat/Nation Media Group]