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Okutoyi makes winning start in French Open debut

Angela Okutoyi

Kenyan tennis prodigy, Angella Okutoyi is pictured following a training session in Nairobi on April 26, 2022.

Photo credit: Tony Karumba | AFP

By  Geoffrey Anene

Reporter

NMG Sport

What you need to know:

  • She saw off Italian qualifier Federica Urgesi in the first round to become the first Kenyan girl to record a Junior Grand Slam match-win. She was already the first Kenyan girl since 1978 to even compete at a major.
  • After bundling out Urgesi, Okutoyi knocked out Zara Larke of Australia in round two and equalled the previous best result of a Kenyan junior at a Grand Slam before being stopped by Lola Radivojevic from Serbia in the third round.

Kenyan tennis ace Angella Okutoyi made a bright start in het first outing at the JA Roland Garros (French Open Juniors) after shocking Belgian Amelie Van Impe in straight sets in the main draw on the clay courts of Stade Roland Garros on Sunday

Ranked at position 66 on the International Tennis Junior (ITF) rankings, the 2021 Africa under-18 champion defeated her highly-ranked opponent Impe (42) 7-6, 6-4 to storm into the second round.

She will face op-seed Petra Marcinko from Croatia, who hammered Canadian Kayla Cross 6-1, 6-4 in the other round of 64 match.

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The 2018 Kenya Open champion had warmed up for the prestigious junior grand slam tournament with disappointing results in Italy where she was eliminated in the first round.

Okutoyi, 18, lost 6-4, 7-5 against Kazakh Aruzhan Sagandikova at the J1 Santa Croce Sull'Arno held from May 9-14 and and was beaten by Briton Ranah Akua Stoiber 6-1, 6-2 at the JA Milan which took place on May 16-22.

Okutoyi, who idolizes American tennis great Serena Williams, made history in January this year at the Australian Open Junior Championships in Melbourne.

She saw off Italian qualifier Federica Urgesi in the first round to become the first Kenyan girl to record a Junior Grand Slam match-win. She was already the first Kenyan girl since 1978 to even compete at a major.

After bundling out Urgesi, Okutoyi knocked out Zara Larke of Australia in round two and equalled the previous best result of a Kenyan junior at a Grand Slam before being stopped by Lola Radivojevic from Serbia in the third round.

In the headlines