Kenyan Tennis Star Angella Okutoyi Records a Historic Win on Her Debut at Australian Open

Kenyan tennis star Angella Okutoyi made a remarkable debut at the Australian Open Junior championships on Sunday.

The Africa under-18 champion recorded a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Italy’s Federica Urgesi in the main draw of the girls’ singles. She thrashed her seasoned opponent 2-1 (6-4, 7-6, and 6-3) in two hours and 13 minutes at Melbourne Park.

Angella thrashed three-time former champion Shufaa Changawa 6-1, 7-6 at Nairobi Club in 2018, becoming the youngest player to win the Kenya Open at the age of 14.

The teenager won the Africa Junior Championship on Clay Court (AJCCC) Under 14 singles in Algeria in 2018 and proceeded to win singles and doubles at the ITF East African Under 18 Junior Circuit, ITF Nairobi Junior Open, and Eastern Africa Zonal Championships Under 16 in 2019.

Angella, who is ranked 60th in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Rankings, also won the Africa Junior Championship in 2021. Her next challenge is against Australian Zara Larke who is currently ranked 263rd. 

The 18-year-old is the second Kenyan after Paul Wekesa to play in the Australian Open.