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Okutoyi, Bhasin win W15 doubles title

Angella Okutoyi

Kenya's Angella Okutoyi poses with her title after finishing second in the W15 Nairobi World Tennis Tour at Karen Country Club in Nairobi on November 20, 2022.

Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group

By  Geoffrey Anene

Reporter

NMG Sport

What you need to know:

  • The teenage pair stunned experienced top seeds Sharmada Balu (India)/Sabastiani Leon (USA) 6-3, 7-5 in an entertaining match which lasted one hour and 31 minutes
  • Wimbledon doubles junior champion Okutoyi and her partner dominated play from the word go, in both service games and receiver points won
  • On their way to the final, Okutoyi and Bhasin blanked Reha Kipsang (Kenya) and Sonia Tuyishime (Rwanda) 6-0, 6-0, fourth seeds Emma Tothova (Slovakia)/Sevil Yuldasheva (Uzbekistan) 6-2, 6-4 and benefited from retirement by Alexandra Iordache (Romania) and Magdalena Stoilkovska (North Macedonia)


Kenya's Angella Okutoyi and her Indian partner Smriti Bhasin have won the doubles title in the second W15 Nairobi World Tennis Tour event at Karen Country Club in Nairobi on Saturday.

The teenage pair stunned experienced top seeds Sharmada Balu (India)/Sabastiani Leon (USA) 6-3, 7-5 in an entertaining match which lasted one hour and 31 minutes. 

Wimbledon doubles junior champion Okutoyi and her partner dominated play from the word go, in both service games and receiver points won. They won 57 percent of their break points compared to just 20 percent for their highly-rated opponents Balu, 29, and Leon, 30, who had threatened to spoil the party in the second set, leveling at 3-3 and 5-5 before Okutoyi and Smriti finished the job.

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On their way to the final, Okutoyi and Bhasin blanked Reha Kipsang (Kenya) and Sonia Tuyishime (Rwanda) 6-0, 6-0, fourth seeds Emma Tothova (Slovakia)/Sevil Yuldasheva (Uzbekistan) 6-2, 6-4 and benefited from retirement by Alexandra Iordache (Romania) and Magdalena Stoilkovska (North Macedonia). Iordache and Stoilkovska retired in the first set with just 10 minutes played as Okutoyi and Smriti led 3-0.

Top seeds Sharmada Balu (India) and Sabastiani Leon (USA) reached the final after seeing off Shana Mao (Tanzania)/Julie Tungamirai (Zimbabwe) 6-1, 6-0, Valery Gynina/Divine Nweke (Nigeria) 7-6, 6-2 and third-seeded Celine Simunyu (Ireland)/Sravya Chikalapudi (India).  Simunyu and Chikalapudi retired with Leon and Balu leading 3-1 games in the second set, having bagged the first 6-3. Reasons for retirements are usually confidential but are often due to injuries or fatigue.

Wimbledon doubles champion Okutoyi was eliminated in singles by top-seeded Emily Seibold after losing 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) in round of 32 on Thursday.   

Her twin sister Roselida Asumwa, and Claire Muthoni also suffered first round exits.

Asumwa surrendered 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 against Simunyu, while Muthoni suffered a 6-0, 6-0 loss against seventh-seeded Chilakalapudi.

Okutoyi, who reached the final in singles in the first W15 Nairobi on November 20, said she has played her last tournament this year. She will join Auburn University in the USA in January to study Business Management and Apparel Design on full scholarship.

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