SADILI JUNIOR PLAYERS DOMINATE KENYA OPEN

Sadili Oval Sports Academy’s juniors proved that they are the team to beat at the just concluded Real Insurance Kenya Open at Nairobi Club, when they dominated the junior tournament and made inroads into the senior event.

17 year old Amadi Kagoma became the youngest player to reach the quarterfinals of the Mens Singles,  knocking out third seed Habiyambere Diadonne (Rwanda) 7-6(4) 6-3 in the first round. Kagoma also reached the semi-finals of the Mens doubles with team mate Yasin Shabani, losing to eventual tournament finalists, Habyambere/Mugabe 6-1  5-7 10-6 in a closely contested match. Kagoma, also lifted the boys Under 18 title, over team mate Jamin Luvembe, 6-3 2-6 6-3.

Chizi Mutsumi: the new girl on the scene

9 year old sensation, Saada Nahimana lifted the girls Under12s, winning 6-0 6-0 (she has only lost one game in the whole tournament) against her opponent Prudence Theuri, while Shebani Kabura cruised over Martin Luveka 6-1 6-0 in the Boys Under 16s. Back to the tennis scene was Chizi Mutsumi, who is now full time at the academy. Chizi reached the girls singles finals, losing to Sofiya Gulam 6-2, 3-6, 2-6. Says Chizi, “I have only been playing for two months: I am quite pleased with my results. I know that I can perform even better”. Her team mate, Lorna Bhwejje took third place in the Girls under 18, after Gloria Rotich and Alvas Wahome, respectively. Amadi and Shebani have already jetted out to represent the region at the age-group Africa Junior Championships in South Africa and Egypt, respectively. Amadi will be joining team mate and former Sadili junior, Hassan Ndayashimiye to try and win the boys Under 18s for Burundi and East Africa.

Other juniors who performed well in this team included Olivier Kigotho (Boys Under 14 quarters), Henry Ayesiga (Boys Under 16 semis), and Kibera-born players Ronex Otieno (boys u14 semis) and Josephat Garo (boys U14 quarters).

The Real Insurance Kenya Open attracted 135 juniors from around the region, who played in the Under 10 to the Under 18 categories.

Hassan Ndayashimiye, former student trains tennis lovers at Sadili Oval

 Sadili Oval Sports Academy in Lang’ata, Nairobi, was a hive of activities as the young and old gathered to gain tennis lessons from an alumni. South Africa-based and former Sadili Oval and Malezi School tennis ace Hassan Ndayashimiye made the practice session possible. Ndayashimiye, who left Sadili Oval on a tennis scholarship to South Africa four years ago, trained players. The players involved those at Sadili Oval and also from neighbouring schools. The sessions involved ball control, court runs, hits, positive thinking and other fitness levels.

The Burundian said he saw it possible to come and give back to Sadili that nurtured his tennis career on top of a prestigious scholarship that he was awarded when he was very young. "The training I got at Sadili has enabled me to win championships in South Africa. Furthermore, I have reached the Wimbledon main draw because of the skills I learnt here," said Ndayashimiye, 17, who was accompanied by his sponsor Kassie Mcilvaine.

"It was nice being here at least for a day to impart what I have learnt to these children. My advice is that they should be focused and be ready to work very hard towards achieving their goals in tennis," added Ndayashimiye, who is currently ranked 27 in World Junior category. He recently reached the third round in an African tennis event in Morocco before moving to win a championship in Tunisia.

He says the greatest challenge to many young upcoming players is ability to amass points. "It’s (amassing points) a tedious process that needs discipline and perseverance, one needs to attend as many ranking tournaments as possible," he added.

Sadili Oval CEO Liz Odera congratulated Ndayashimiye for giving back to the centre that developed him. "It’s great to have him (Ndayashimiye) back, he started training here at age nine. He is now going places. Training in South Africa and Europe has made him even sharper," Odera said.

Meanwhile, Sadili Oval Centre has many tournaments and activities lined up in their calendar this year, beginning with the Smashers Challenge Cup on January 28.

Notable Tournaments Played:

Wimbledon (Juniors)
US Open (Juniors)
Roland Garros (Juniors)
Orange Bowl 
Eddie Herr Junior tournament 
Astrid Bowl

Hassan Progresses To 2nd Round In Wimbledon

As Wimbledon giants Tomas Berdych, Serena and Venus Williams tumbled, East Africans had reason to smile as Hassan Ndayishimiye of Burundi today successfully made it through the first round of Wimbledon, beating Mattias Sborowitz of China, 6-3, 6-4  in the junior boys draw. Hassan, who had to go through a tough qualifying draw that saw him play and win against World class juniors,
He is poised to meet Frederico Frere Silva of Portugal, who beat the 12th seed of the boys tournament to earn a second round berth.

Hassan, hails from Buyenzi, a slum in the heart of Burundi, where his father, a coach at a local tennis club, first introduced him to tennis. Hassan was at 9 years, spotted by a international professional player, Martin Dzuwa, playing in the back courts of the club, and he persuaded a local member, Kassie McIlvaine, to send him to a humble little 3-court tennis centre at the edge of Kibera, Africa's largest slum in Nairobi, Kenya called Sadili Oval Sports Academy, where he honed his skills and the watchful eye of PTR Professional Dr. Liz Odera, and finally went to formal school, for 4 years, before returning home.

Hassan received a scholarship to the ITF Centre in Pretoria, where he has been for the last two years, and which changed his tennis life immensely, as he was able to play many top level tournaments in Africa and more lately in Europe. Many of his friends and opponents alike, will remember Hassan, and how he lit up the tennis stage in Kenya, as a little boy, challenging and often winning matches against top juniors, many three to four times his age. Hassan's stab at Wimbledon is an inspiration to many children of Buyenzi, many of whom, like him, work as hitters for the rich at the local tennis club. For them now, the sky is the limit. Kassie continues to watch and care for Hassan, and she was there to watch him win his first singles round at Wimbledon. This win makes Hassan the first Burundi national in history to advance in the main draw of Wimbledon.