Okutoyi suffers setback after qualifying round loss in Charlottesville

2023 Kenya Open champion Angella Okutoyi on Tuesday saw her quest to claim the W75 Charlottesville tournament go up in smoke after suffering a qualifying round loss to American Sophie Chang.

The Kenyan, taking part in her second game in the clay-court event in Virginia, endured a tough outing against the 26-year-old ranked 386th in the world, losing out in straight sets of 6-2, 6-3.

Okutoyi, who was using the tournament to gain places on her WTA rankings, broke early in the first set but was blown away in four consecutive games after Chang held her serve to tie 2-2.

The second set wasn’t any different for the recently crowned African champion, as after breaking twice to lead 3-1, capitulated to give up five games in a row, eventually losing out 6-3.

The win for Chang means she is yet to drop a set in the tournament, and will face Ukrainian Valeriya Strakhova in Wednesday’s Round of 32 matches.

For Okutoyi, who started the competition with a straight sets victory over Russian Maria Kononova on Monday, defeat means her chances of making the 2024 Paris Olympics have suffered a considerable dent.

The 20-year-old, now ranked 532nd in the world, needs to make it to the top 400 positions in the WTA standings by 10 June to make the cut for the Summer Games.

The Charlottesville event meanwhile carried 75 points for the eventual champion.

It is expected that she will keep on with the chase as she now prepares to participate in the W25 Boca Raton Tournament in Florida from 29 April.

Harambee Starlets striker Marjolen Nekesa accuses agent of fraud