Angella Okutoyi Makes History at Wimbledon

Kenyan Tennis Player, Angela Okutoyi
Kenyan Tennis Player, Angella Okutoyi
File

Tennis prodigy Angella Okutoyi made history by becoming the first Kenyan to win the Wimbledon championship.

The 18-year-old tennis sensation on Saturday, July 9, was competing in the women's junior doubles with Rose Marie Nijkamp of the Netherlands.

After tying with the Canadian team after two sets, Okutoyi and her partner had to put in the extra effort. The Canadians lost 11-9 against Nijkamp and Okutoyi (3-6, 6-4) in the tiebreaker.

The duo won the doubles Junior Championships final at Wimbledon over the Canadian team of Kayla Cross and Victoria Mboko.

Angella Okutoyi and her Dutch partner Rose  Nijkamp win the 2022 Wimbledon doubles junior finals.
Angella Okutoyi and her Dutch partner Rose Nijkamp win the 2022 Wimbledon doubles junior finals.
Courtesy

On Friday, July 8, Okutoyi made history by becoming the first Kenyan woman to reach a Wimbledon final.

The 18-year-old, who was competing in the junior doubles tournament with Nijkamp, advanced to the championship match by defeating Lucija Ciric Bagaric and Nikola Daubnerova in straight sets (6-3, 6-4).

The second set was off to a rough start for Okutoyi and his partner, who fell behind 1-0 early on before mounting an incredible comeback to win 6-4.

On Wednesday, Okutoyi and her partner defeated Dominika Salkova and Linda Klimovicova of the Czech Republic (7-6, 6-4) to advance to the semi-final. The game-winning ace was served by the Kenyan gem.

After their semifinal victory, Okutoyi praised her Dutch partner in her speech.

“The match was interesting but not easy at all. However, my partner and I really fought through it. We were losing it but we kept calm and strong and that's how we got the win," she lauded her partner.

A Collage of Kemyan Tennis Sensation Angela, Okutoyi.
A Collage of Kenyan Tennis Sensation Angella, Okutoyi.
Kenyans.co.ke

"She's good. I mean we have a good connection when we're playing and I like that we bond so well and play quite good together,” she added.

 

Okutoyi has also made history by becoming the first Kenyan to compete in the Australian Open. The Australian Open is a scheduled Grand Slam held annually in Melbourne, Australia.