Angella Okutoyi keeps Aschaffenburg title defence alive with quarterfinal comeback
Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 09.07.26. | 19:35
The victory sends Okutoyi and McAdoo into the semifinals, keeping alive their bid to successfully defend the title they won last year
Angella Okutoyi remained firmly on course to defend her ITF W100 Aschaffenburg doubles title after battling back alongside American partner Rasheeda McAdoo to secure a hard-fought quarterfinal victory at the SanLucar Ladies Open held on Thursday, 9 July in Germany.
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The second-seeded pair, who lifted the 2025 title at the same clay-court tournament, fought from a set down to defeat South America’s Martina Capurro Taborda of Argentina and Chile’s Fernanda Labraña 4-6, 7-5, 10-6 in a contest that lasted exactly two hours and two minutes.
The victory sends Okutoyi and McAdoo into the semifinals, keeping alive their bid to successfully defend the title they won last year.
The result also marks another encouraging milestone for Okutoyi as she continues her transition into full-time professional tennis.
She recently concluded an outstanding collegiate career at Auburn University before relocating her training base to London to focus on the professional circuit.
Okutoyi is now training under the guidance of Grand Slam champion Wayne Black and former world doubles number one Cara Black, with her impressive run in Aschaffenburg providing an early confidence boost in the next phase of her career.
Having survived a tense opening-round encounter earlier in the week, the defending champions were once again pushed to the limit in the quarterfinals.
Capurro Taborda and Labraña adapted quickly to the outdoor clay conditions, punishing errors from the defending champions to claim the opening set 6-4 in 42 minutes.
Okutoyi and McAdoo responded strongly in a fiercely contested second set that lasted 59 minutes. McAdoo’s aggressive presence at the net combined effectively with Okutoyi’s trademark defensive consistency as the pair secured a crucial late break to edge the set 7-5 and force a decisive match tiebreak.
With a place in the semifinals on the line, the reigning champions relied on the chemistry that carried them to last year’s title.
Remaining composed during long rallies, Okutoyi and McAdoo produced a clinical display in the deciding tiebreak, sealing it 10-6 to complete the comeback and keep their title defence firmly on track.