Okutoyi begins W15 title hunt as Asumwa advances past Round One hurdle

Kenya’s 18-year-old tennis sensation Angella Okutoyi is set to begin her hunt for title glory on home soil on Wednesday when she plays her first match in the W15 women’s World Tennis Tour tournament currently ongoing at the Karen Country Club.

In the main draw conducted following the qualifiers held on Monday, Okutoyi, who made history back in July when she became the first Kenyan player to lift a Grand Slam title by winning the 2022 Wimbledon Girls Doubles crown, was paired against India’s Shetty Sharanya in the first round that begun on Tuesday.

With the tournament also having points on offer apart from the 15,000 USD (circa Ksh. 1,828,500) up for grabs in the overall competition, Okutoyi, who is looking to make her transition to the senior side will be keen to close the year on a high as she plays in the country for the first time in the tourney.

After her singles match, the former African Junior Champion will also be taking part in the Doubles category and will link up with India’s 19-year-old Smriti Bhasin where they will take on Caroline Romeo (France) and Sevil Yuldasheva (Uzbekistan).

Elsewhere, Roselida Asumwa, Okutoyi’s twin sister, stormed into the Round of 16 after successfully navigating past the opening round where she recorded an impressive 6-4, 6-2 victory over 26-year-old Australian international Nessa Pratt.

Asumwa had gotten to the main draw of the tournament after receiving a wild card to the competition that has attracted a total of 45 players and ten 10 coaches from 21 countries.

Stacy Chepkemei Yego, who was also in the first round after qualifying as the lucky loser, was however dumped out of the competition as she succumbed to a 6-0, 6-0 defeat against Italy’s Linda Salvi.

The pair of Mary Wachira and Claire Muthoni were also dumped out of the competition in the Doubles category after going down 6-0, 6-0 against fourth seeds Linda Salvi and Emily Seibold.