A 16-year-old tennis player from Hadley is preparing to represent Ghana on the international stage after earning a place in the country’s squad for this week’s Billie Jean King Cup Africa Group III.
Gwen Klu will compete for Ghana’s Diamond Rackets at the tournament, which runs from 13 to 18 July at the National Tennis Centre in Gaborone, Botswana. The event, the premier international women’s team competition in tennis and the female equivalent of the Davis Cup, is being hosted by Botswana for the first time.
Klu’s tennis journey began far from Ghana. She first picked up the sport after a coach visited her primary school in Telford and invited pupils to train at Telford Tennis Centre. She later joined the Ellesmere College Tennis Academy, where she has spent the past three and a half years developing her game while representing Shropshire at county level.
Although born in the United Kingdom, Klu was eligible to represent three countries. Her father is a former Ghanaian volleyball player, while her mother is French, making her eligible for Ghana, England and France. Ghana moved first after she impressed selectors with performances that earned her an ITF junior world ranking.
“Ghana gave me the opportunity first so I just took their call,” Klu said. “I feel like this is quite a good experience and good opportunity to be able to travel different countries in Africa and also to discover the cultures.”
She joins a Ghanaian team featuring Sisu-Makena Tomegah, Tracy Ampah and Precious Okoh under the guidance of coach Bernard Ashitey Armaah, who has expressed confidence in the squad’s preparation ahead of the competition.
Eleven countries are competing for two promotion spots to Europe/Africa Group II next season. Teams have been divided into one group of three and two groups of four for a two-stage round-robin competition. Ghana has been drawn alongside Algeria, Nigeria and Tunisia, while Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Kenya, Madagascar, Namibia and Zimbabwe make up the rest of the field. The bottom two teams will be relegated to Africa Group IV.
Nigeria opened its campaign with a 2-1 victory over Burundi in Gaborone, highlighting the level of competition awaiting Ghana. Klu, who has previously faced Nigerian opponents, said the challenge ahead would not change her mindset.
“I’ve had a few people from Nigeria, for example, that I’ve already played against, so I’m not bothered about who I’m playing really. I just want to go there and do my best,” she said.
Tournament organisers also hope the event will have a lasting impact beyond the matches. Gomolemo Mahuma of the Local Organising Committee said it was intended to serve “as a catalyst for the growth and transformation of women’s tennis in Botswana,” with the competition forming part of the country’s 60th independence anniversary celebrations.
For Klu, the focus is on making the most of her opportunity. She hopes a strong performance in Gaborone will attract sponsorship, easing the financial burden on her family, who currently fund her tennis career.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah