Tough test for Okutoyi, Higashitani in W25 doubles final
Kenya's Angella Okutoyi celebrates a point against Lu Jia-Jing of China during their ITF Women World Tennis Tour second round singles match on December 13, 2023 at Karen Country Club.
What you need to know:
- Stacy Yego, Cynthia Wanjala, Alicia Owegi, Roselida Asumwa and Faith Urasa will to start their campaign in the qualifying draw on Sunday.
Kenyan star Angella Okutoyi and partner Nagomi Higashitani will Sunday morning fight for the title against top seeds Fanny Ostlund/Valeriya Strakhova in the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour (W25) final at the Karen Country Club, Nairobi.
It will be a relief for finalists as the doubles final was hanging in the balance, with organisers having considered to declare it unplayed because the second tournament also serves off at the Nairobi Club on Sunday.
History-maker Okutoyi - the Kenya Open 2018 and 2022 champion - and Japanese partner Higashitani qualified on Friday after shocking third seeds Jessie Aney (USA)/Lena Papadakis (Germany) 7-6, 6-4 in the first semi-final on the clay courts of Karen Country Club.
The pair outwitted Stefanie Auer (Austria)/Sophie Luescher (Switzerland) 6-4, 6-2 and second seeds Maria Fernanda Herazo Gonzalez (Colombia)/Ksenia Laskutova 7-6, 7-5 in the first two rounds.
Ostlund/Strakhova cruised to the final on Saturday evening after a come-from-behind 4-6, 7-6, 10-8 win against fourth-seeded Martina Colmegna (Italy)/Sada Nahimana (Burundi).
“A match can be declared unplayed if the referee decides it will not be started for any reason other than a withdrawal, walkover, default, or retirement. For the case of the doubles final at Karen Country Club it could be declared unplayed because some players from the first tournament might be involved in the qualifying draw of the second tournament starting on Sunday,” explained ITF supervisor Patrick Kamuhia.
However, Kamuhia noted that they had asked ITF to extend the first tournament by a day.
“I have scheduled the doubles final after the singles final on Sunday since we have not got feedback. I believe they are happy with our plans.”
This is the first-ever final for Karen Country Club member Okutoyi,19, in a W25 tournament after reaching the second round in singles at the W25 Florence in the USA.
Meanwhile, the 2022 Wimbledon Junior doubles champion Okutoyi is in the main draw of the second tournament slated for December 17-24.
Okutoyi exited the singles in the second round of the first tournament after losing to 34-year-old Chinese Jia-Jing Lu 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday.
Stacy Yego, Cynthia Wanjala, Alicia Owegi, Roselida Asumwa and Faith Urasa will to start their campaign in the qualifying draw on Sunday.
Okutoyi is the first Kenyan player – man or woman – to win a professional singles event (W15 Monastir in July 2023) since Paul Wekesa achieved the feat at the Andorra Challenger in 1994.
