2022 Tennis Review: Sensational Angella Okutoyi puts Kenya on the global map, pumps life into sport

When 2022 started, a few people knew who Angella Okutoyi, who by then was just days away from turning 18 years old, was.

Just a couple of months before the year started, the young tennis player had written her name in the history books as she became the first Kenyan to lift the African Junior Championship after seeing off Moroccan Aya El Anouni 6-3, 6-3 in the singles final of the 2021 Africa Junior Under-18 Championships held in Sousse, Tunisia in November.

While that was already a high moment in her budding tennis career, a handful of people would have predicted what lay in store for the Kenyan girl who went to become one of the country’s proudest icons during the whole of 2022 that saw her become the very first Kenyan to win a prestigious Grand Slam tournament.

Mozzart Sport reflects on Okutoyi’s 2022 that could not have been better than it eventually turned out.

Wimbledon Grand Slam Champion

On Saturday 9 July 2022, the prodigious Okutoyi put Kenya on the global map when she went down into the history books as she lifted the 2022 Wimbledon Girls' Doubles title to become the first ever Kenyan player to win any Grand Slam Tournament.

Making what was just her third appearance in a major tennis tournament the Kenyan youngster, together with her Dutch partner Rose Marie Nijkamp, defeated the Canadian pair of Kayla Cross and Victoria Mboko 3-6, 6-4 (11-9) to lift the Junior Girls’ Doubles title, drawing praise from then Head of State President Uhuru Kenyatta, Oscar winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, tennis legend Billie Jean King among other notable persons worldwide.

“President Kenyatta hailed Okutoyi's historic victory as a momentous achievement that has not only lifted Kenya's profile in world tennis but that will also inspire a generation of young players to excel in the sport," a statement from State House read.

Played all 4 Grand Slam events

Apart from winning in one of the four major tennis tournaments, Okutoyi had a whirlwind 2022 that saw her take part in all the four junior Grand Slam events – Australian Open, Roland Garros (French Open), Wimbledon and US Open.

The journey started in January in Australia where her first round victory over Italy’s Federica Urgesi made the headlines as became the first Kenyan girl to record a Junior Grand Slam match-win. She managed a second round win against Australia’s Zara Larke but her fairytale run ended in the third round where she lost in straight sets to Serbia’s Lola Radivojevic.

The teenager’s run at the Roland Garros ended in the second round as Croatian Petra Marcinko, who was the Junior Girls Number 1, knocked her out in straight sets.

Wimbledon saw Okutoyi show incredible character to recover from her Round one exit as she atoned for it with the staggering march to the title in the Girls’ Doubles title.

In the US Open, Okutoyi also succumbed to a second round defeat.

Wins W15 Doubles title in debut senior tournament

Through the year, Okutoyi continued making more and more history and in November, the youngster, after becoming the first Kenyan ever to reach an International Tennis Federation World Tennis Tour final, won the Doubles title in the second edition of the W15 ITF Women's World Tennis Tour tournament held at the Karen Country Club in Nairobi.

The tournament was Okutoyi’s first taste of the senior setup as she begun her transition after playing at the US Open.

The history maker added another accolade to her trophy cabinet as she bagged the Girls Doubles title in the J1 Repentigny tournament that took place in Canada from 28 August to 3 September playing alongside her Polish partner Malwina Rowinska.

2022 Rugby Review: Year of promise ends in disarray

She also won the 2022 Rwanda Open Singles and Doubles title where she defeated her sister Roselida Asumwa in the Singles and partnered alongside her to win in the Doubles.

Lands full time scholarship to the USA

Following her impressive exploits through the year, Okutoyi received a massive boost in the pursuit of her professional career as she received a full time scholarship at Auburn University in Alabama, United States of America starting from January 2023 with Mozzart Sport revealing upto thirty schools in the USA were on the trail of the youngster.

At the start of the year, Mozzart Sport did a full feature story on Okutoyi, the tennis barrier breaker who rose from a children's orphanage to the Grand Slam.

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

Tennis Kenya commission construction of public tennis courths.

Following the historic achievement of poster girl Angella Okutoyi, Tennis Kenya is finalizing the process of constructing two courts at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani as part of plans to further develop the game in the country and enhance its reach to players.

According to Secretary General Wanjiru Mbugua, plans are already in motion to see to it that two hard court surfaces are up and running to help the sport continue tapping the new found fame after Okutoyi’s historic performance as well as provide public opportunities for existing players.

May 2023 be greater!