Okutoyi’s historic Australian Open run ends
Angela Okutoyi in action during a previous tournament in Ruiru, Kenya.
What you need to know:
- The Serbian, who is also a debutant in the competition, draws her inspiration from her fellow countryman and the top ranked male player Novak Djokovic.
- The Australian Open Junior Championships is back in 2022 after the 2021 edition was cancelled due to the challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions into Australia.
Kenya’s Angela Okutoyi’s hopes of getting to the quarterfinals of the 2022 Australian Open Juniors main tournament were shattered on Wednesday after she lost to Lola Radivojevic of Serbia in the third round at Melbourne Park.
Okutoyi, who showed great promise after her success in the first two rounds of the age group competition, seemed off when facing her 17-year-old Serbian opponent falling straight sets of 6-2, 6-3.
Radivojevic, currently ranked at position 58 in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior rankings, took control of the match from the onset challenging Okutoyi’s speed on serve returns and faulty backhand swings that saw her win the first four games and eventually winning the first set.
The Kenyan teenage tennis sensation, who has been receiving mentoring at the ITF Academy in Morocco since February 2021, didn’t have much luck in the second set with her opponent dominating the games from the onset with incredible speed on the court and strong forehand swings that barely missed the ball, ending the match in just 1hour and 16 minutes.
Two time Africa Junior Championship winner, Okutoyi, won her first round match on Sunday defeating Italian Federica Urgesi 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3, to become the first girl from Kenya to win an Australian Open juniors match.
On Tuesday, the 18-year-old made more history when she outclassed Zara Larke in three straight sets of 7-6(7), 7-5,6-1 to qualify for the third round.
She became the first Kenyan to go past the second round at a Grand Slam tournament.
Okutoyi was making her debut at the Grand Slam tourney 16 years after the last time Kenya featured in the competition.
Kenyan Christian Vitulli competed at the 2006 Australian Open Juniors when he lost in the first round of the main draw against New Zealand’s Austen Childs.
Paul Wekesa played at the Australian Open from1989 to 1994. His best performance was reaching the second round in 1989 when he lost against Austrian Thomas Muster.
Okutoyi is also the second Kenyan girl to play a Junior Grand Slam after Susan Wakhungu who featured at Wimbledon in 1978.
The third round loss to Radivojevic sets Okutoyi back to position 71 in the ITF world junior rankings after occupying position 60 at the beginning of January.
Her opponent, Radivojevic, who has maintained an almost perfect score throughout, will now face Petra Marcinko of Croatia in the quarterfinals.
The Serbian, who is also a debutant in the competition, draws her inspiration from her fellow countryman and the top ranked male player Novak Djokovic.
The Australian Open Junior Championships is back in 2022 after the 2021 edition was cancelled due to the challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions into Australia.
