Positive start for Angela Okutoyi in ITF tournament
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Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 08.01.25. | 17:21
Taking advantage of her seemingly fatigued opponent, she ensured her victory and progressed to the second round.
African Games champion Angela Okutoyi edged out Switzerland’s Katerina Tsygourova 7-6, 6-3 as the International Tennis Federation (ITF) W35 Women’s World Tour started at the Nairobi Club on Wednesday morning.
It was a positive start for the Kenyan, who had lost in the semifinals of the previous tournament played last week.
The Swiss did not go down easily, giving Okutoyi a tough challenge. The scores were deadlocked at 4-4 at one point in the first set, which lasted for one hour and 47 minutes.
Okutoyi’s experience proved crucial in the second set. Taking advantage of her seemingly fatigued opponent, she ensured her victory and progressed to the second round.
“The first set was long, and my opponent did not give me time to settle. I was trying to be aggressive, but she was very offensive with good serves, although not particularly strong. In the second set, I focused on winning points early, and it worked well,” said Okutoyi after the match.
In an earlier game on Court One, seventh seed Rinon Okuwaki from Japan made quick work of Kenyan Cynthia Wanjala, winning 6-0, 6-0.
Wanjala was serving first but lost her serve early, as Okuwaki quickly ran up a 2-0 lead in the first set.
Despite her struggles, Wanjala briefly resisted in the fifth game, at one point leading 30-15. However, it did not last long, as her opponent wrapped up the first set in 26 minutes.
Speaking after the match, Okuwaki expressed her delight with the win, stating that it would give her momentum for the upcoming matches.
“She was a good fighter but moved a lot, allowing me to take advantage of her mistakes and score easily. I just want to focus on winning my next match and performing well,” she said.
In other matches, Monika Stankiewicz from Poland beat Demi Tran from the Netherlands 6-2, 7-5, while Sada Nahimana edged out Gloria Contrino from Italy 6-0, 6-0. Japanese player Nagomi Higashitani also won her match, beating Gabriella Mikaul from the USA 6-3, 6-1.
Poland’s Zuzanna Pawlikowska defeated Tanzania’s Shana Martin 6-1, 6-2, and Vicky Van De Peer from Belgium beat Celine Alexia from Romania 6-0, 6-0.
