Kenya fall to Algeria in Davis Cup opener

Kenya suffered a difficult start to its Davis Cup Africa Group IV campaign after losing both singles matches against Algeria on the opening day of competition at Nairobi Club on Wednesday.

The North Africans took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie after victories in the opening singles matches, leaving the doubles encounter with only pride at stake for the hosts.

Veteran Kenyan player Ismael Changawa was the first on court, facing Algeria’s Samir Hamza Reguig. Despite enjoying strong support from the home crowd, Changawa went down in straight sets, losing 6-3, 6-4.

Reguig acknowledged the challenge posed by both his opponent and the partisan Nairobi crowd.

“It was really not easy. He was playing so good and he has a lot of experience. Especially with the spectators supporting Kenya, it wasn’t easy, but I’m happy for the win,” said Reguig.

The Algerian added that his victory provided confidence for his teammates as they pursue their goal of returning to Africa Group III after suffering relegation last year.

For Changawa, who recently returned from a lengthy injury layoff, the defeat was disappointing but not discouraging.

“Today wasn’t our day. It’s our first game, so there was a little bit of tension and nervousness on the court,” he said.

The Kenyan captain praised his opponent’s performance, admitting that Reguig adapted well to his tactics.

“He played better than me today and had his great moments. Another applause for the guy,” Changawa said before thanking fans for their support.

Kenya’s hopes of forcing the tie into the doubles rested on Kael Shah, who made an encouraging start against Toufik Sahtali by claiming the opening set 6-4.

However, the Algerian responded strongly to take the second set 6-1 before sealing victory with a 6-2 win in the decider.

Shah pointed to a loss of confidence during crucial moments as the turning point in the match.

“I played very well in the first set and followed the game plan. In the second set, I started to doubt myself and gave my opponent a lot of confidence. When you’re playing such a highly ranked player, it’s hard to recover from that,” he said.

Despite the defeat, the young Kenyan remained upbeat about the team’s prospects for the remainder of the tournament.

“Today doesn’t define the rest of the tournament. We played a really tough team, but we have to take the positives and look ahead with confidence and positivity,” Shah said.

With several ties still to come, Kenya will be hoping to bounce back quickly and keep its promotion ambitions alive as the Davis Cup campaign continues on home soil.