Okutoyi wins W15 Monastir title

Kenya’s Angella Okutoyi Sunday won the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Women's Tour W15 Monastir singles title after seeing off Isabella Harvison in straight sets.

The Auburn University student, who earned a wild card to the main draw, defeated the American qualifier Harvison 6-2, 7-6 in one hour and 52 minutes in Tunisia to walk away with Sh333,000.

“I feel relieved and motivated for more after this victory in singles in Monastir. I had belief in myself, even before winning this. But winning this gives me more motivation. It helps me to see that my path is really good and I can make it in tennis,” said Okutoyi, who is bound to rise again in the WTA singles ranking after picking 10 points for defeating Harvison.

She led from the word go in the first set in which she also registered two aces and won at the break points three times.

The second set was hotly contested, with Okutoyi ,19, coming from behind twice at 2-3 and 4-5, but managed to kill off the game by winning the tie-break.

It was the first W15 Monastir singles title for Okutoyi in six attempts since making her debut in the Tunisian tournament in July 2022.

Okutoyi qualified for the final by dispatching third-seeded Zeel Desai 6-1, 7-6 on Saturday.

She was chasing her first ever singles title in a W15 tournament after coming so close during W15 Nairobi in November 2022 when she lost against German Emily Seibold in the final.

En route to the final, the 2022 Wimbledon Junior Doubles champion swept aside German Helena Buchwald 7-5, 6-2, top-seeded Yasmine Mansouri 6-4, 6-0, fifth seed Anastasia Abbagnato 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 in the first three rounds before seeing off Desa in the semi-final.

On the other hand, Harvison started her campaign in the qualifying draw. She defeated Carla Fity (France), Oleksandra Korashvili (Ukraine), Ranim Rassil (Tunisia), Salma Drugdova (Slovakia), Martina Spigarelli (Italy), Caroline Romeo (France) and Alexandra Iordache (Romania) in that order before being stopped by Okutoyi.

Okutoyi and Harvison, 22, were meeting for the first time ever. Okutoyi competed in three W15 Monastir tournaments this month. She was knocked out in singles by Russian Vlada Mincheva in the second round in the first tournament held on July 10-16, but won doubles partnering Beverly Nyangom.

The Rwanda Open 2022 singles and doubles champion reached the quarter-final in singles in the second W15 Monastir tournament held on July 17-23. She did not compete in doubles in the second tournament.

In her third W15 Monastir tournament, Okutoyi and Rassil fell at the first hurdle in doubles, but Okutoyi has managed to beat all in singles.

After Sunday’s final, Okutoyi heads home for Kenya Open slated for August 7-13 at Nairobi Club where she is a Junior Elected Member until she turns 25 years old.

Okutoyi along with twin sister Roselida Asumwa and Alice Owegi will compete at the Kenya Open before they head to the USA where they are university students at Auburn University, Alabama University and Cowley College, respectively.