Angella Okutoyi: Kenyan Makes Tennis History With Doubles Triumph at ITF W25 Nairobi

• Kenya’s teenage sensation Angella Okutoyi has made tennis history
• She has won both the singles and doubles titles in an ITF W25 event
• The only other Kenyan to achieve such a feat is Paul Wekesa in 1994

Angella Okutoyi engraved her name in Kenyan tennis history on Saturday, December 23, 2023, after becoming the first player to secure both singles and doubles titles in an ITF W25 event.

The tournament, hosted by the International Tennis Federation in Nairobi, saw Okutoyi partner Sada Nahimana clinch the doubles on Friday, December 22, 2023, overcoming Jessie Aney and Lena Papadakis 6-4, 3-6 (10-7).

The 19-year-old added the singles title to her accolades the following day, defeating Germany's Papadakis 6-3, 1-6, 6-1.

"I am really grateful for this win; it means so much to me. I feel like hard work really pays off if you stay focused and disciplined, which is what I've been doing. I know last week wasn't it, but I really tried to stay focused this week, and here I am with two golds now!" Okutoyi is quoted on Pulse Sports.

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Her journey to the singles title included a comeback win against Italy's Miriana Tona in the quarterfinals, overcoming a 4-6 first set to secure victory with scores of 6-0 and 6-3. She continued her stellar performance by defeating Lucie Nguyen Tan from France in straight sets in the semifinals before dominating the final against Papadakis, claiming the decisive third set 6-1 after splitting the first two sets.

Okutoyi and Nahimana staged an impressive run in the doubles main draw, defeating higher-seeded teams on their way to the title.

Notable victories included a quarterfinal win against the four-seeded Cherubini and Colmegna and a semifinal triumph over the two-seeded Gonzalez and Laskutova.

This achievement adds to Okutoyi's historic moment in July, where she became the second Kenyan player to secure a professional singles tennis title at the ITF W15 Monastir. The only Kenyan to achieve such a feat is Paul Wekesa, who won the Andorra Challenger in 1994.

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Okutoyi eyes improved ranking in future events and is eyeing a spot in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

“I feel like I have a chance to qualify. Winning gold in singles and doubles in the second Nairobi tournament gives me a lot of motivation for next year to work even harder to improve my rankings and qualify,” She told Nation Sport.

Okutoyi’s journey to stardom

Sports Brief previously highlighted Okutoyi’s journey to tennis stardom after winning the Wimbledon Junior Double Championships in July 2022.

Okutoyi partnered with Rose Marie Nijkamp from the Netherlands to win the Wimbledon Open doubles Junior Championships.

The duo beat Canadians Kayla Cross and Victoria Mboko to see Okutoyi write her name in Kenyan tennis history.