Ouko and Yego to fight for Sh30,000 in Nellions Open ladies final, Changawa and Njogu renew enemity in men's final

BY JEFF OLUBUYI

Top seed Stacy Yego and second seed Felicia Ouko will battle for the ladies’ singles title, while defending champion Ismael Changawa faces Albert Njogu in the men’s final as the second edition of the Nellions Tennis Open concludes at Parklands Sports Club on Saturday.

Yego booked her place in the ladies’ final with a dominant 6-3, 6-2 victory over third seed Seline Ahoya on Friday, October 9, 2026, while 15-year-old Ouko defeated fourth seed Bathsheba Ogamba 6-3, 6-3 to set up the title clash.

In the men’s draw, Changawa defeated fifth seed Liberty Kibue 6-4, 6-1 to move within one win of retaining his crown. Njogu, meanwhile, overcame Raymond Oduor 6-4, 7-6 to secure a rematch with Changawa, who beat him in last year’s inaugural final.

The 18-year-old Yego, who trains at 254 Rocket Club in Loresho, delivered an impressive performance to reach the final on her debut at the tournament. She described the competition as valuable preparation for her upcoming International Tennis Federation (ITF) events.

“The tournament has been great so far. I have had pretty good matches, and I'm happy to be in the finals,” said Yego.

“It's my first time playing Nellions. I've never played, but I'm really happy to play for the first time and get into the finals. It's been really good.”

Yego explained that she was using the tournament to sharpen her game ahead of her international assignments.

“I'm just using this tournament as a warm-up tournament for me for the upcoming ITF tournaments. I'm just taking it as a practice tournament, warming-up tournament before the ITF. So I'm just glad to have these matches,” she said.

The youngster attributed her progress to improvements in her speed and attitude on court, saying the changes had helped her become more composed.

“I think I have really worked on myself in terms of my speed, my attitude on the court. I feel like I have grown a lot as a person on the court. I'm better attitude-wise, so I think that helped me a lot in this match,” she added.

“That is what made me win this match, and I'm really proud of myself for that.”

Yego is relishing the prospect of facing Ouko, a player she knows well from their previous encounters and time together as teammates.

“I am looking forward to my match with Felicia. We have played each other several times. It is always a good match playing against her. We have been a team together, so I'm looking forward to playing with her,” said Yego.

“I know it's going to be a really good match.”

She also welcomed the opportunity to face Ahoya in the semi-final, noting that their regular training sessions gave them a chance to measure their progress.

“I practise with Seline, so it's really good to play her in the tournament as well. We see where each person's level has become and how we've achieved our previous matches and how we've been practising,” she explained.

Ouko, meanwhile, had to dig deep to overcome Ogamba in straight sets. The 15-year-old said her opponent’s strong serve, defensive ability and consistent returns made the encounter challenging.

“I had to really dig deep so that I could find a way,” said Ouko.

She added that she had previously faced both potential opponents in the final and would prepare different strategies depending on whom she met.

Yego will be seeking to crown her tournament debut with the title, while Ouko hopes to upset the top seed and emerge as champion.

The four-day tournament, running from October 7 to 10 on the clay courts of Parklands Sports Club, has attracted 54 players competing in men’s singles, ladies’ singles and Masters Men, a category reserved for players aged 35 and above.

Nellions Moving and Relocations Limited CEO Cosmas Kamuyu was among those taking part.

The men’s and ladies’ singles champions will each receive Sh30,000, with runners-up earning Sh15,000. Bronze-medal winners will pocket Sh8,000, while quarter-finalists will receive Sh4,000.

Sponsored by Nellions Moving and Relocations Company, a Nairobi-based provider of residential and corporate moving, international relocation, storage and pet relocation services, the tournament concludes on Saturday with the finals and medal matches.