Fresh from winning the International Tennis Federation(ITF) World Women's 15s tournament in Tunisia on Sunday, Angela Okutoyi will be looking to win her second Kenya Open title starting next week.
The 2022 Wimbledon doubles junior champion won the last Kenya Open in 2018 and with the win in Tunisia, she has the momentum to go all the way and defend the title.
“I'm delighted with the win in Tunisia. The first two tournaments I played did not go according to plan but I changed tack in several aspects of my play and finally won the third one,” said Okutoyi
Okutoyi, who entered as a wild card for the tournament, defeated American qualifier Isabela Harvison 6-2, 7-6 in the final to pocket Sh333,000.
"I feel motivated and satisfied with the win. I had the belief that I could go all the way despite the setback I had in two weeks and it motivates me for the tournaments which will come later in the year,” added Okutoyi.
The Auburn University student had seen off India's Zeel Desai 6-1, 7-6 (5) in the semifinal and this was her first Women 15s final victory after losing the final to German Emili Seibold last year at the Nairobi Club.
“ It's been a journey of ups and downs and to finally win my first one, I am delighted. I would like to thank my coaches and management team for the hard work they have put in over the years,” noted Okutoyi.
Subsequently, Okutoyi said she hopes to handle the pressure in next week's Kenya Open.
"I'm learning to deal with the pressure by playing in all those tournaments. I have adjusted accordingly even when things don't go your way, you learn to fight back,” she added.
The 2022 Rwanda Open and doubles junior champion jets back to the USA mid-next month after the Kenya Open assignment.
Winners of the Kenya Open will pocket Sh75,000 in the men's and women's singles categories with doubles winners going home with Sh12,000. The tournament returns after a four-year hiatus due to a lack of sponsors and the Covid 19 pandemic
