Okutoyi looking forward to playing on home soil before departing to the US

Kenya’s tennis star Angella Okutoyi is looking forward to playing on home soil for the first time since 2019 when the two W15 women’s world tennis tour events take place at the Karen Country Club starting from 14-27 November this year.

The 18 year old tennis history maker, who back in July 2022 became the first Kenyan player to lift a Grand Slam title when she emerged as the Wimbledon Girls Doubles champion alongside her Dutch partner Rose Marie Nijkamp, will be competing in the two tournaments with the hope of getting the perfect exit before her departure to the USA.

Okutoyi will be departing to the United States in January 2023 after receiving a full time scholarship at Auburn University in Alabama.

“I am so excited and really happy about getting to play the two tournaments at home and I cannot wait. Those will be my last tournaments for this year before I close the season,” the youngster told Mozzart Sport.

The W15 event is the product of reforms designed to support talented junior players in their progression to the senior game and target the prize money effectively at professional tournaments to enable more players to make a living.

The two events taking place in Nairobi will have a cumulative prize money of 15,000 US Dollars each (around Ksh 1,809,000 shillings) for the whole tournament.

Angella Okutoyi – Tennis barrier breaker who rose from a children's orphanage to the Grand Slam

Okutoyi will begin her transition to the senior category starting from the two tournaments after taking part in all four Junior Grand Slams this year as she turns 19 in January as well.

According to the tournament calendar released by International Tennis Federation, the governing body of world tennis, Nairobi is scheduled to host the two W15 clay court events with the first tournament running from 14-20 November as the second tourney follows immediately from 21-27 November 2022.