For Okutoyi: 62 players feature in fundraising tournament

Dozens of elite tennis players gathered at the Public service club in Nairobi  yesterday to help raise funds for Kenya’s top female player Angela Okutoyi.

 The 62 players did this through entering the Angela Open tournament that was held at the same venue.

The17-year-old Okutoyi  currently ranked 131 in the International Tennis Federation Junior ranking, moved to Morocco in early February to join the ITF training centre where she will receive tennis and academic tutoring for the rest of the year.

Despite the training centre catering for her tournament and training needs, the young player has been struggling with providing for her other basic needs.

Thus came in the fundraising tourney.

The aim of the tournament was to raise Sh100,000. So far about half that amount had been raised by Saturday evening.

Okutoyi moved up the ranks in January after an impressive  performance in the Nairobi edition of the ITF World Junior Tennis Tour held at Nairobi Club where she won both her doubles and singles matches.

Tennis Kenya executive officer, Nancy Nduku, said the federation was working on making conditions for both Okutoyi and other upcoming players as favourable as possible.

“We've now started a campaign to adapt talented players, especially those who are coming from underprivileged backgrounds and securing them scholarships. We have partnered with the government and the National Olympic Committee of Kenya towards this end,” she said.

Roselida Asumwa and the Kenya Davis Cup team led by captain Ismael Changawa participated in the fundraising tournament.