Alicia Owegi suffers shocking loss in Billie Jean King Cup opener

Kenyan tennis star Alicia Owegi faced an unexpected defeat in the opening round of the Billie Jean King Cup Group III tournament.

Owegi, based in the United States, was defeated by Morocco's Aya El Aouni with a score of 6-3, 6-0 at the Nairobi Club.

Throughout the match, Owegi faced difficulties holding her serves, allowing her opponent to capitalize on her mistakes.

The relatively experienced Kenyan player showed glimpses of her capabilities in the first set, earning three points.

However, she could not maintain her momentum and eventually fell in the second set, where both players displayed a high level of intensity and quality.

Reflecting on her performance, Owegi acknowledged the importance of maintaining a consistent level of play throughout the match.

"Definitely getting close to winning the first set and then losing it was disappointing. I have to rectify where I made a mistake by maintaining good momentum throughout the whole match going forward," she said.

Apart from Owegi, Kenya is represented by Wimbledon double junior champion Angela Okutoyi, twin sister Rosehilda Asumwa, Cynthia Cheruto, Melissa Mwaka, and Stacey Yego.

The six representatives are in Pool A alongside top-seeded Morocco (90), Botswana (100), Nigeria (110), Namibia (113), and Uganda (114).

Pool B has second-seeded Tunisia (93), Ghana (106), Burundi (109), Zimbabwe (112), Mauritius (114) and Seychelles (117).