Smashers Challenge Cup Displays Excellent Sportsmanship

Wycliffe Okenye

The Smashers Challenge Cup (4th edition), presented by gold sponsor, RentWorks, ended on a high note on Sunday 14^th August 2016 at Karen Country Club with 31 junior players braving the cold to showcase their talents in the game. The juniors came from all over Nairobi, Kisumu and Arusha. One of the highlights of the tournament was the match between Wycliffe Okenye and Ricky Omondi in the boys under 18/21 finals.The two gave a magnificent display of tennis in a match that kept spectators glued to their seats. It ended by Wycliffe thrashing Ricky 6/4, 6/2.

Kigamwa(right) receives a trophy from Ms.Moraa of RentWorks

Indefatigable player Changi Kigamwa of Karen Country Club battled his way to the semi finals but was stunned by Ricky Omondi 1/6, 2/6. Despite Kigamwa's loss to his opponent, Karen Country Club had a reason to celebrate as this was the first time since 2010 that a seed from the club had reached semi-finals in the under 18/21 category.

Shana Mao

In the girls under 12 category, Angela fought her way to the finals where she finally lost to  Nasombi Khangati 4/1. In the girls  U14/U16, talented Shana Mao had an easy win against her opponents and went her ahead to beat runner-up Julia Khangati 6/1 in the finals. In the boys under 12, Edward Odogo played well but finally lost to Moses Otieno in the finals. In the boys under 14 finals, Evans Aminga thrashed Evans Otieno 4/2. In the boys under 16, runner-up John Onyango put up a good fight throughout the match but finally lost (narrowly) to Charles Ochieng 6/7.

The final results were as follows:

Girls

12 & Under

Winner: Nasombi Khangati

R/Up: Angela Aluanga

3^rd: Scovia Nafula

4^th Nduta Kariuki

14/16

Winner: Shana Mao

R/Up: Julia Khangati

3^rd: Shamiso Pemiwa

4^th: Shiku Njuguna

Boys

12 &Under

Winner: Moses Otieno

R/Up: Edward Odogo

3^rd: Ibrahim Oburu

4^th: Henry Ochieng

14 & Under

Winner: Evans Aminga

R/Up: Evans Otieno

3^rd: Jerome Kitonga

16 & Under

Winner: Charles Ochieng

R/Up: John Onyango

3^rd: Chris Kagunda

4^th: Jerome Kitonga

Boys U18/U21

Winner: Wycliffe Okenye

R/Up: Ricky Omondi

3^rd: Billy Jagero

4^th: Changi Kigamwa.

The Smashers Challenge series forms part of a Level B Tennis Africa Cup ranking tournaments, for players between intermediate to advanced level. Winners from the Masters qualify for the World Finals of the Champions Bowl (http://www.champ-bowl.com), a worldwide tournament circuit, to be held in Spain later this year. This particular edition was sponsored by RentWorks and Wilson Sporting Goods. RentWorks is a lease company that provides rental finance solutions to a global customer base comprising large and medium size organizations.

No Surprises At Smashers Challenge Cup, Nairobi

The 3^rd edition of the Smashers Challenge over the weekend at Sadili Oval Sports Academy had a turn   open singles, and reaching the semi-finals, losing to eventual winner Ibrahim Hakizimana (Burundi), who beat Charles Ochieng (Kenya) narrowly on a final super tie-break (10-4), to lift the overall Under 14 title. In the Boys U16, Ronax Otieno downed hard-fighting talent, Wycliff Okenye 3/6,6/1,10/4, then retired to favourite Frank Tayebwa in the final. The boys Under 18 saw favorites Henry Ayesiga and compatriot John Lutaya sail through to the finals, with Henry winning 6-1 6-3 with crisp, well appointed strokes.

out of extremely strong junior players from the region. Saturday saw Winnie Birungi (Uganda) and Hoziana Kikambala (Burundi) make quick work of their opponents, setting the stage for the under 12 girls finals, which Winnie took confidently. Winnie also showed that she is ready for anything when she signed up for the mixed Under 14s

The Smashers Challenge is a Level B tournament for top juniors in the Tennis Africa Cup ranking (www.tennisafrica.info) and recognized by the Nairobi County Tennis Association

Winnie Birungi returns with fire

RESULTS

GSU-12

Winnie Birungi v/s Hoziana Kitambala 6/2,6/1

Winnie Birungi v/s Aziza Manarakiza 6/0,6/0

Winnie Birungi v/s Sauda Akimana 6/0,6/0

Hoziana Kitambala v/s Aziza Manarakiza 6/0,6/1

Hoziana Kitambala v/s Sauda Akiamana 6/0,6/1

Aziza Manarakiza v/s Sauda Akimana 2/6,1/6

Winner:Winnie Birungi

Runner-up:Hoziana Kitambala

BSU-14

Charles Ochieng stays consistent

Pool A

Ibrahim Hakizimana v/s Charles Ochieng 6/0,6/2

Ibrahim Hakizimana v/s Hoziana Kitambala 6/1,6/0

Charles Ochieng v/s Hoziana Kitambala 6/4,6/3

1^st Ibrahim Hakizimana

2^nd Charles Ochieng

Pool B

Antony Owita v/s Elizabeth Aluoch 6/3,6/2

Antony Owita v/s Winnie Birungi 6/3,6/2

Elizabeth Aluoch v/s Winnie Birungi 3/6,2/6

1^st Antony Owita

2^nd Winnie Birungi

BS 14
Tennis Tournament Planner - www.tournamentsoftware.com
	Semifinals	Final	Winner
1	Ibrahim Hakizimana
		Ibrahim Hakizimana
2	Winnie Birungi	6-1 6-1
			Ibrahim Hakizimana
3	Ochieng Charles		6-4 5-7 [10-4]
		Ochieng Charles
4	Owiti Antony	w.o.

 

Ibrahim Hakizimana in a pensive moment

Wycliff displayed improved form

BSU-16

Ronex Otieno v/s Sylvester Juma 7/5,6/2

Ronex Otieno v/s Frank Tyebwa w/o

Ronex Otieno v/s Wycliffe Okenye 3/6,6/1,10/4

Sylvester Juma v/s Frank Tayebwa 1/6,2/6

Sylvester Juma v/s Wycliffe Okenye

Frank Tayebwa v/s Wycliffe Okenye 6/3,6/4

Winner: Frank Tayebwa

Runner-up: Ronax Otieno

BSU-18

Pool A

Henry Ayesiga v/s Sylvester Juma 6/1,6/3

Henry Ayesiga v/s Frank Tayebwa 6/1,6/2

Sylvester Juma v/s Frank Tayebwa 1/6,2/6

1^st Henry Ayesiga

2^nd Frank Tayebwa

Pool B

John Lutaaya v/s Ronax Otieno 6/4,6/3

John Lutaaya v/s Wycliffe Okenye 6/1,5/7,10/7

John Lutaaya settling into his new game style

John Lutaaya v/s Emmanuel Omondi 6/0,6/1

Ronax Otieno v/s Wycliffe Okenye 3/6,6/1,10/4

Ronax Otieno v/s Emmanuel Omondi 5/7,7/5,10/4

Wycliffe Okenye v/s Emmanuel Omondi 6/1,6/2

1^st John Lutaaya

2^nd Ronax Otieno

BS18
Tennis Tournament Planner - www.tournamentsoftware.com
	Semifinals	Final	Winner
1	Henry Ayesiga
		Henry Ayesiga
2	Otieno Ronex	w.o.
			Henry Ayesiga
3	Frank Tayebwa		6-1 6-3
		John Lutaaya
4	John Lutaaya	7-5 6-2

Henry: Clean, Concise, Confident

Henry Ayesiga Earns Scholarship To Top US Tennis Academy

Henry Ayesiga of Sadili Africa Talent Training Academy (SATTA), has begun a three-week training stint at The Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park, Maryland, in what will be a major boost to his tennis career. The Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) is a world class training program located in Washington DC Metropolitan Area, and was founded in 1999 to provide opportunities to talented junior players from diverse backgrounds. to date, JTCC has been home to 11 national champions in the past 5 years, including Denis Kudla, Junior Ore and Mitchell Frank, who are three of the top U16 Boys in the world. JTCC also boasts five athletes, currently playing professional circuits. JTCC is the USTA's first recognized Regional Tennis Training Center.

Henry on clay court at JTCC

Says HeadPro and Director at Sadili, Dr. Liz Odera, "Henry has worked very hard and remained discipline and consistent. Our new partnership with JTCC, courtesy of NJTL National Manager, Dan Limbago, has ensured that we can finally give him and chance of a lifetime, to train with some of the best in the world." Henry Ayesiga has been the ended 2011 at Number 2 in Under 14 Boys in the Confederation of Africa Tennis (CAT) ranking. He is also the National Secondary Schools Sports Association 2013 Boys Singles Champion and helped his school win the Boys Title at the East Africa School Games in August. Says Henry, "I love my tennis, and I always look for new challenges. Going to JTCC is a big eye opener for me, and I really thank Dan and Dr. Liz for working hard to get this wonderful opportunity, but also Amolo and Carlos for believing in me". Asked if he hopes to become a professional player, Henry hesitates and then says slowly, "Don't get me wrong, I love tennis. But I think I also need to get a good education, so college tennis is the direction for me."

Sadili Oval Sports Academy, a not-for-profit, holds an NJTL - USTA honorary recognition for the great work done with children's tennis and education in East Africa. Sadili remains the most successful tennis academy in the region, producing a large majority of the junior stars, while offering them an opportunity for a solid education. 

Kenyan in Finals of Smashers Challenge

Amon Muinde

Kenyan Junior, Amon Muinde, today, for the first time in three years, made the finals of the Smashers Challenge Cup in the Under 16s category, showing hope that the country can equal others in talent. Amon who beat top African junior, Henry Ayesiga (Uganda) 4/6,6/1[5-10] in the group stages, struggled through the first set, to lose 6/0, before rallying to fight back, losing in a close 5/7 in the second and final set.  Henry, in his element today, had earlier won a tough match against top Kenyan junior, Olivier Kigotho 6/2 6/4 in the quarterfinals, then stopped upcoming talent Sada Nahimana 6/1 6/0 in the semi-finals.

Henry Ayesiga

In the boys 14s finals, Anthony Owiti slipped past Davis Matanda (Kenya), 7/6(3) 6/3 in a close encounter that lasted a little over 2 hours.

The Smashers Challenge Tournament is part of a series of challenges for junior players of intermediate to advanced level, and is recognized by the Tennis Africa Cup.

RESULTS

GSU-12

Alice Ayoma v/s Belinda Awino 7/6(5),6/3

Alice Ayoma v/s Elizabeth Sheila 6/1,6/2

Belinda Awino v/s Elizabeth Sheila 6/0,6/0

Winner: Alice Ayoma

Runner-up: Belinda Awino

2^nd R-up:Elizabeth Sheila

BSU-14

 Pool A

Davis Matanda v/s Charles Ochieng 6/0,6/1

Davis Matanda v/s Peter Kyama 6/0,6/0

Charles Ochieng v/s Peter Kyama 6/4,6/3

1^ST Davis Matanda

2^nd Charles Ochieng

Pool B

Antony Owita v/s Nigel Odhiambo 7/6(2),6/3

Antony Owita v/s Ian Okungu 6/0,6/0

Nigel Odhiambo v/s Ian Okungu 6/0,6/0

1^st Antony Owita                                                                     

2^nd Nigel Odhiambo

Smashers Challenge No.2 (LEVEL B)
BS 14
Tennis Tournament Planner - www.tournamentsoftware.com
	Semifinals	Final	Winner
1	Matanda Davis
		Matanda Davis
2	Odhiambo Nigel	6-1 6-3
			Owiti Antony 7-6(3) 6-3
3	Ochieng Charles
		Owiti Antony
4	Owiti Antony	6-4 6-2

BSU-16

Pool A

Henry Ayesiga v/s Amon Muinde 4/6,6/1[5-10]

Henry Ayesiga v/s  Josphat Garo 0/1 Ret. Won

Henry Ayesiga v/s   Sylvester Juma 4/6,6/4[10-7]

Amon Muinde v/s Josphat Garo 6/2,6/2

Amon Muinde v/s Sylvester Juma 6/0,6/2

Josphat Garo v/s Sylvester Juma 7/5,5/7[10-5]

1^st Amon Muinde

2^nd Henry Ayesiga

Pool B

John Lutaaya v/s Robert Kasombo 6/4,0/6[10-5]

John Lutaaya v/s Sada Nahimana 6/7(5),1/6

John Lutaaya v/s David Mukhwana 6/2,6/2

Robert Kasombo v/s Sada Nahimana 1/6,6/2[10-4]

Robert Kasombo v/s David Mukhwana 6/1,6/1

Sada Nahimana v/s David Mukwana 6/2,6/3

1^st Sada Nahimana

2^nd Robert Kasombo

Pool C

Shebani Kabura v/s Olivier Kigotho 1/0 Ret. Lost

Shebani Kabura v/s Ronex Otieno Not Played Lost

Shebani Kabura v/s Wycliffe Okenye 6/4,6/3

Olivier Kigotho v/s Ronex Otieno 6/7(4)6/3[10-7]

Olivier Kigotho v/s Wycliffe Okenye 6/3,6/3

Ronex Otieno v/s Wycliffe Okenye 4/6,1/6

1^st Olivier Kigotho

2^nd Wycliffe Okenye

Smashers Challenge No.2 (LEVEL B)
BS 16
Tennis Tournament Planner - www.tournamentsoftware.com
	Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final	Winner
1	Muinde Amon
		Muinde Amon
2	Otieno Ronex	6-1 6-0
			Muinde Amon
3	Kasombo Robert		7-5 6-4
		Kasombo Robert
4	Okenye Wycliff	6-3 6-0
				Ayesiga Henry
5	Kigotho Olivier			6-0 7-5
		Ayesiga Henry
6	Ayesiga Henry	6-2 6-4
			Ayesiga Henry
7	Juma Sylvester		6-1 6-0
		Nahimana Saada
8	Nahimana Saada	6-0 6-4