Dylan Bettencourt
Ngemuva kokuthi u-Ons Jabeur ehluleke ukuba ngowokuqala wase-Afrika ukuwina i-Grand Slam, u-Angela Okutoyi wase-Kenya, odlala kuma-double amantombazane nozakwabo wase-Dutch uMarie Rose Nijkamp uphumelele eqoqweni lamantombazane.
Lo mdlali (18) wase-Kenya ungowokuqala ukuwina isicoco se-Wimbledon.
Laba ababili bahlule abase-Canada uKayla Cross noVictoria Mboko ngo 3-6 6-4 11-9.
Intombazane yase-Kenya ayikaze idlale otshanini njengoba ilahlekelwe umdlalo wayo wokuqala wamantombazane. Kodwa lokho akazange avume ukuthi kumvimbe njengoba engene eqoqweni lamantombazane amabili.
“Kuyajabulisa kimina ukuba ngowokuqala wase-Kenya ukuwina kwi-Grand Slam nokuthi ngifinyelele kowamanqamu kwi-Grand Slam,” kusho u-Okutoyi etshela i-BBC Sport Africa ngemuva kokuwina ngoMgqibelo.
“Sengingakwazi ukukhuthaza abadlali abaningi base-Kenya nase-Afrika. Sengiyakwazi ukubeka inkolelo kubona ukuthi nabo bengafeza amaphupho abo.”
Uthe imvelaphi yomuntu noma ukuthi uqhamuka kuphi akusho lutho.
“Kuyinkolelo nje nephupho ongalifeza. Manje ngikholwa ukuthi sizoba nabantu abaningi base-Kenya abazongenela umqhudelwano,” esho.
Lo mdlali uthe yize engakaze edlale otshanini phambilini kulokhu uzizwe ezethemba ngesikhathi edlala phezulu futhi uthanda ukudlala otshanini.
“Kuyinkolelo onayo kuwena ukuthi ungadlala kunoma iyiphi indawo. Ngakho yebo, ngiyajabula ukudlala otshanini ngokuqinisekile,” kwengeza u-Okutoyi.
Lo mdlali wengeze ngokuthi uJabeur ungomunye wabamkhuthazayo yize uJabeur ehlulwe kowamanqamu wabesifazane ngoMgqibelo.
“Uyisihlabani e-Afrika, emazweni ama-Arab kanye nase-Tunisia,” kusho u-Okutoyi.
“Uma ngizilolonga ngimbona ezilolonga ezilungiselela. Ukubona akwenzayo kuyangikhuthaza ukuthi ngidlale kahle.”
Bobabili u-Okutoyi noJabeur banethemba lokuthi impumelelo yabo ingathuthukisa umdlalo e-Afrika.
“Nginefilosofi yokuthi umqondo ongemuhle awusoze wakunika impilo eqondile. Yilokho engikushoyo uma ngifuna ukukhuthaza izingane ezincane. Umuntu kumele azethembe ngaphezu kwakho konke,” kusho u-Okutoyi.
Umthombo wesithombe: @TheIndependent