Okutoyi battles to second round at W35 Nairobi 2 tourney

African Games women’s singles champion, Angella Okutoyi, advanced to the second round of the W35 Nairobi 2 tennis tournament after a hard-fought 7-6, 6-3 victory against Katerina Tsygourova on the clay courts of the Nairobi Club on Wednesday.

Okutoyi, set to improve from 729th to 678th in the next Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles rankings, earned eight points last week following her quarter-final finish at W35 Nairobi 1.

In her opening match of W35 Nairobi 2, she staged an impressive comeback, overturning a six-time deficit in the first set to dominate 7-2 in the tiebreaker, thanks to powerful serves and precise returns. She lost only one serve in the tiebreak, compared to Tsygourova’s four.

After the intense first set, many expected an equally close second set against Tsygourova, who is ranked 655th in the world. However, Okutoyi took command early, racing to a 3-0 lead and maintaining her dominance to close the set and match.

“Today's match wasn't easy,” Okutoyi said after the win. “She’s a good player, and the first set was long. She didn’t give me time to play my game. I was trying to be aggressive, but she was more defensive and held herself pretty well. I was just trying to be aggressive even though I was missing some of my shots,” added the Auburn University student.

Okutoyi also reflected on the importance of winning her first-round match.

“It’s always the toughest, and overcoming it is a good thing. I’m happy that I was able to do that. Playing at home is always nice in front of the home crowd. People trust in you, believe in you, and give you love. That’s why I like coming back to play here in Kenya. I always enjoy it—it’s my favorite surface, and playing at home means a lot.”

She emphasised the value of hosting international tournaments like the W35 series in Kenya. “Kenyan players get to improve by playing strong players who come here. In 2023, we had a W15 and W35 event, so having two W35 events this year is an improvement,” noted Okutoyi.

Tsygourova, though defeated, praised her opponent and the tournament. “I think it was a good match compared to last week. Angella played very well and improved. I tried my best, but it wasn’t enough today. It’s tough to take this result, but I’m happy to have competed here in Kenya. I’m really happy for Angella,” said Tsygourova.

She added: “It’s my first time here, and it was tough because I didn’t know about the high altitude. The weather is also completely different from Switzerland, but I enjoyed the sun, and I think the tournament was very well organized. I hope there will be more tournaments here in Kenya—I’ll definitely come again.”

Okutoyi faces a tough challenge in the second round as she takes on Yufei Ren of China, ranked 475th after gaining four points in the first W35 Nairobi tournament. In doubles, Okutoyi and her partner Nahimana, seeded top, will play against Alyssa Reguer (France) and Katerina Tsygourova (Switzerland) in the quarterfinals.