Okutoyi moves up in ITF rankings after Monastir win
Kenya's Angella Okutoyi poses for a photo after winning the W15 Monastir singles title in Monastir, Tunisia on July 30, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Okutoyi now shifts focus to the Kenya Open slated for August 7-13 at the Nairobi Club.
- She won this tournament at the age of 14 in 2018. The Kenya Open is back for the first time since 2019.
Kenya’s Angella Okutoyi has climbed 60 places to position 1,152 in the latest global Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles rankings.
Okutoyi, who is expected back home from Tunisia on Tuesday night, scaled the rankings after bagging the W15 Monastir tournament by defeating American Isabella Harvison 6-2, 7-6 in the final on Sunday. Her career-high in singles is 1,122 (February 6, 2023).
The 2022 Wimbledon Junior Doubles champion floored German Helena Buchwald 7-5, 6-2, top-seeded Yasmine Mansouri from France 6-4, 6-0, fifth seed Anastasia Abbagnato from Italy 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 and Indian Zeel Desai 6-1, 7-6 on her way to the final.
It was the first time ever that Okutoyi won the Women’s USD 15,000 tournament (W15), picking 10 crucial points in singles for the win.
Iga Swiatek ,22, from Poland leads the rankings on 9,490 points followed by Aryna Sabalenka, (8,845), Elena Rybakina, (5,465), Jessica Pegula, (5,395) and Ons Jabeur, (4,846) in that order.
She is the second Kenyan player in history to win a professional singles tennis title after Paul Wekesa in 1994.
In the latest WTA Doubles rankings, Okutoyi has also improved, moving up seven places to 1,008 with 25 points.
She won the W15 Monastir doubles with Frenchwoman Beverley Nyangom in her first tournament.
Okutoyi now shifts focus to the Kenya Open slated for August 7-13 at the Nairobi Club. She won this tournament at the age of 14 in 2018. The Kenya Open is back for the first time since 2019.
