Okutoyi eyes another victory at US Open
Angella Okutoyi poses for a photo after winning her first round match at the US Open Junior Championships in New York on September 4, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Tennis Kenya Secretary General Wanjiru Mbugua-Karani, who is with Okutoyi in New York, noted that her serves were excellent.
- “She played a girl who is ranked higher than her, but she dug deep and displayed a lot of courage at important points,” Wanjiru said.
Wimbledon Junior Doubles champion Angella Okutoyi will face another tough test in her quest to leave a mark at the US Open Junior Championships when she comes up against Australian eighth-seed Taylah Preston in the second round on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows in New York.
The Kenyan defeated German Carolina Kuhl 7-6, 7-5 in her first round singles match on Sunday, while eat Alyssa Ahn (USA) 6-0, 3-6, 6-1.
The J1 Repentigny doubles winner, who is the only player from Africa in the girls’ singles main draw, is ranked 60th on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior rankings, while Preston is 13th.
On the Women's Tennis Association's (WTA) rankings, Okutoyi occupies position 1,501, while Preston is at 660.
Both Okutoyi and Preston have competed in the four junior Grand Slams this year – Australian Open Junior Championships (January 22-29), Roland Garros Junior Championships (May 29 – June 4) and The Junior Championships, Wimbledon (July 2-10).
In Australia, Okutoyi made history after she defeated Italian Federica Urgesi 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3 and Australian Zara Larke 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 in the first two rounds before Serbian Lola Radivojevic stopped her in the third round 6-2, 6-3 on the hard courts.
By doing so, she became the first Kenyan girl to win a Grand Slam match and reach the third round.
Okutoyi handed Belgian Amelie Van Impe a 7-6, 6-4 defeat in the first round of the Roland Garros in France before losing 6-2, 6-4 against Croatian Petra Marcinko in the second round on clay.
In Wimbledon, Okutoyi was bundled out in the first round 6-3, 6-2 by Mia Kupres on the grass courts.
It is here where she partnered with Rose Marie Nijkamp in doubles and went all the way to become the first Kenyan to reach the final and win it.
Preston was eliminated in the second round in Australia, reached the third round in Roland Garros and second round in Wimbledon.
Both Okutoyi and Preston warmed up for US Open juniors in J1 Repentigny held from August 28 to September 3.
Okutoyi was eliminated in the second round, while Preston in the third round. Okutoyi won the J1 Repentigny doubles title partnering Poland's Malwina Rowinska.
“I had a plan in this match just to play my game and it worked pretty well. When we met for the first time during the JA Cape Town last year, I lost to her because I played without purpose, not varying my game.
Today, I varied my game. I also followed my coach’s advice which was not to allow the match to change my smile but my smile to change the match," Okutoyi said after Sunday's first round win.
Tennis Kenya Secretary General Wanjiru Mbugua-Karani, who is with Okutoyi in New York, noted that her serves were excellent.
“She played a girl who is ranked higher than her, but she dug deep and displayed a lot of courage at important points,” Wanjiru said.
