By Teddy Otieno tedootieno@gmail.com,
The ITF W35 Tennis Tournament has been ongoing at Parklands Sports Club since January 5, and Saturday saw a huge turnout as Angela Okutoyi claimed both the singles and doubles titles. Riding on that momentum, I made my way to Parklands Sports Club on Tuesday, January 6, for day two of week two of the tournament. The W35 is part of the ITF World Tennis Tour, attracting rising professionals from across the globe while offering Kenyan players rare, high-level competition on home soil.
I first went to the Parklands Tennis Courts along Wambugu Road—only to realise I was at the wrong location. The security guard at the gate pointed toward the road and said, “Take a left, then… do you know the police station?”
I told him I didn’t.
“Okay, doesn’t matter. Take a left, then a right, and you’ll see the place—Parklands Sports Club.”
I thanked him and walked for about ten minutes before arriving at Gate B Of Parklands Sports Club. All four courts were busy, with singles and doubles matches happening simultaneously. I settled at Court 2, where Belgian player Valdevende was facing India’s Komal Nagare. Coincidentally, I was wearing the same Nike cap as Valdevende.
I was on assignment to follow the Kenyan players in the doubles draw. Seventeen-year-old Stacy Yego was partnered with China’s Yan Shihong, facing Isabella Shinikova of Bulgaria and Lexue Xiao of China. Their match was on Court 3, far from the stands, which sit under a tree adjacent to Court 2 and make following the distant action difficult.
I walked around to the back of the courts and sat behind the fence, right behind the action. A banner indicated the seats were reserved for coaches – a detail I chose to ignore, hoping no one would ask me to move. Beside me sat two Chinese men – one older gentleman I presumed to be Yan’s coach, and another who appeared to be a friend of Xiao. There was also a woman in sunglasses who frequently spoke to Shinikova in a foreign language.
Shinikova and Xiao dominated the opening set, winning the first few games before play was briefly stopped when Xiao suffered a nosebleed. After receiving medical attention, they resumed and comfortably took the first set 6-1.
The second set saw Stacy and Yan settle into the match. They played with more confidence, winning the opening two games. However, Shinikova and Xiao showed their experience, regrouped, and closed out the set 6-2 to seal the match.
Afterwards, I caught up with Stacy and introduced myself as a sports writer. She looked exhausted, so I kept it brief. I ask for her thoughts on the game.
“We weren’t used to each other, so the first set was tough,” she said. “The second set was better-we got more balls and started playing better.”
I asked how doubles partnerships are formed at such tournaments, whether they are random.
“No, it’s not random,” she explained. “You choose for yourself. There are many players here, so you get options.”
Stacy had earlier lost her singles match on Monday to India’s Sravya Shindani, and the doubles defeat marked the end of her W35 campaign.
Next up was the doubles match I was most keen to watch: Kenyan teenagers Hadassah Grace (17) and Faith Urasa (19) against India’s Saumya Vig and Yashaswini Panwar. The match was again on Court 3, forcing me to follow from the far side of the stands- an admittedly frustrating experience.
The Indian pair were dominant, racing to a 6-0 win in the first set. Hadassah and Faith improved in the second, showing better coordination and fight, but ultimately fell 6-2, losing the match in straight sets. The result marked the end of the tournament for the only all-Kenyan doubles pairing.
I approached Hadassah and Faith after the match. Initially hesitant, they relaxed once I assured them it wasn’t a video interview. Faith joked that I should speak to the winners “over there.” I told her winning or losing didn’t matter-my focus was on Kenyan players.
“The first set was bad,” Faith admitted. “In the second, we tried to come back, but we lost momentum.”
I asked why they chose to partner with each other. “We play together a lot,” she said. “That’s why.”
It was a short conversation with two young players still getting used to media attention. Before leaving, I told Faith we would be rooting for her as she prepared for a tough singles match against Hungary’s Luca Udvardy on Wednesday.
Although they came up short, players like Stacy Yego, Faith Urasa, and Hadassah Grace represent the next chapter of Kenyan tennis. Competing against seasoned international opponents at just 17 and 19 years old, the experience gained at the ITF W35 may ultimately prove more valuable than any single win.
