Okutoyi set for title defense against Tanzania’s Mao as Njogu, Kael eye first Kenya Open crown

19-year-old Kenyan tennis sensation Angella Okutoyi will fight to defend her Kenya Open title when she faces Tanzania’s Shana Mao in the 2023 Championship decider set for Saturday morning at the Nairobi Club in the women Singles category.

This is after the 2022 Wimbledon Girls’ Doubles champion overcame compatriot Alicia Owegi 6-2, 6-0 on court 8 in their semifinal match played on Friday to book her spot in the final.

The match proved to be the first time Okutoyi had lost a game in the tournament making its return after a four year hiatus, as her Round of 16 and quarter final victories were all straight set bagels.

“I am happy that I am in the final and ready to defend my title, hopefully I get the job done tomorrow (Saturday). I knew Alicia is a good player so, I just tried to win my service game and try to get her serving game because she has a really good serve so I was just trying to stay calm and playing the first ball in.

In the first game of the match, she took her serve but I just stayed calm and it worked. Afterwards, I was just trying to push her back and not letting her to be aggressive on me,” Okutoyi, who is the top seed in the tournament, said afterwards.

The teenager, who is featuring in the Kenya Open tournament just a week after her first professional title, broke in the third and seventh games to take the opening set 6-2 before upping the ante in the second set to record the 6-2, 6-0 victory.

Mao, her challenger for the title, too care of Okutoyi’s twin sister Roselida Asumwa (3) in a seesaw 6-1, 6-4 victory to book her spot in the final in what is her first Kenya Open appearance.

The third seed from Tanzania showed her resolve especially in the second set as she time and again fended off being broken by Asumwa especially in the second set to get over the line.

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“The match was up and down but it feels good to have won the match and to get to the final. I am really happy and it is just amazing how far I have gone in the tournament. I think in every round, my game got better and better whoever I played.

I am really excited that I will be playing Okutoyi because she is a really good player. She plays really well so win or lose I am just happy to play her because it is amazing how an African player can do what she has done so I am just amazed by her,” Mao remarked.

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In the men’s Singles category, the first and second seeded Albert Njogu and Kael Shah will be bidding to clinch their first Kenya Open title after they both saw off challenge from Kennedy Ngolya (11) and Erneste Habiyambere (4) respectively to set up the title showdown.

Kael left nothing to chance against Rwanda’s Erneste as, he set the tone for what was to come with a blistering start that saw him race to a 0-4 lead after breaking in the opening game and third game.

The fourth seed would record his point after holding serve in the fifth game but Kael went on probing, holding for a 1-5 lead before seeing his two set points saved by Erneste who made it 2-5.

The 18 year old took the first set 2-6.

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Erneste called for a medical timeout afterwards but that intervention failed to work as Kael broke thrice in the second set to win the match 2-6, 0-6.

“It was a great match from my side because I played really solid and smart. I started really well, giving no chances while I took all the chances I had and I came through.

I played really smart using my forehand to make him move and I was serving really well that he could not do much which I think was my main advantage.

It was my goal to play in the finals but I knew that it would be tough but here we are and it should be a good match against Njogu who we have trained with a lot.

I am just going to use my strengths, try to serve well, try to stay mentally strong throughout and to convert the chances I get,” Kael, who considers 23 time record Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic as the GOAT, remarked ahead of the finale.

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Njogu easily dispatched Ngolya 6-0, 6-4 to knock out the eleventh seed who look a shadow of his former self on Friday when he knocked out third seed Keean Shah.

“I am enjoying that what I have been training on is working on the court and whatever the outcome tomorrow, I will be good with it. It is definitely going to be a tough match but the winner will certainly be the one who will make the least number of errors,” the top seed said.

The Doubles final will see a sibling affair as Okutoyi will team up with her twin sister Asumwa against Tanzanian duo Mao/ Esther Nankulange in the women's category as Kael links up with his brother Keean as they face Njogu/ and Kevin Cheruiyot.