Okutoyi eyes improved performance in World Tour

Wimbledon Junior Doubles champion Angella Okutoyi is hoping for a better outing at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Women's World Tennis Tour W15 Monastir tournament which starts on July 10 in Tunisia.

Okutoyi, who has a Women's Tennis Association (WTA) career-high ranking of 1122 , made first round exits in last year's event at the hands of Frenchwoman Marie Villet and Indian Shrivalli Bhamidipaty respectively.

She then reached the second round of the third W15 Monastir tournament by beating Indian Vineetha Mummadi.

Okutoyi went down 6-1, 6-0 to the 26-year-old Villet on July 25, about two weeks after she had written history by becoming the first Kenyan to win a Grand Slam when she clinched the Wimbledon Junior Doubles title partnering Rose Marie Nijkamp from the Netherlands.

The 2018 Kenya Open and 2022 Rwanda Open champion will not defend her Wimbledon title this week because she graduated to seniors after US Open Juniors in September last year.

Some familiar faces that Okutoyi will likely meet in Tunisia are Villet and Romanian Alexandra Iordache. Iordache competed at the two W15 Nairobi tournaments in November 2022, but she did not play Okutoyi.

Compatriots Roselida Asumwa, who is Okutoyi’s twin sister, and Alicia Owegi have been placed on the list of withdrawals from the W15 Monastir tournament.

“Okutoyi has intensified training in Nairobi ahead of the W15 Monastir. She will be in Monastir for three weeks,” said coach Francis Rogoi.

Under Rogoi, the USA-based trio of Okutoyi, Asumwa and Owegi alongside Cynthia Wanjala, Stacy Yego and Zimbabwe-based Melissa Mwakha put up a great show to finish the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Africa Group III with a bronze at the Nairobi Club two weeks ago.

Wanjala and Yego are competing in the J30 Nairobi, which begins Monday at Nairobi Club, while Mwakha is back in Zimbabwe.