Angela Okutoyi reaches historic final in Wimbledon

The first Kenyan female to win a grand slam juniors Angela Okutoyi training in Nairobi to further her stint in pro tennis ahead of the French Open and Wimbledon respectively. April 29, 2022. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Rising tennis star Angela Okutoyi on Friday made another huge leap in the history books after becoming the first ever-Kenyan player to make it to the finals of a Grand Slam tournament.

Okutoyi and her partner Rose Marie Nijkamp from the Netherlands qualified for the final of the doubles Junior Championships at Wimbledon.

The duo came from behind in both sets to knock out third-seed Lucija Ciric Bagaric (Croatia) and Nikola Daubnerova (Slovakia) 6-3, 6-4 on the grass courts of All England Lawn Tennis Club to qualify for the final.

Okutoyi and Nijkamp will face the Canadian pair of Kayla Cross and Victoria Mboko in the final on Saturday afternoon.

Okutoyi had shifted her focus to the doubles after her singles run in the tournament was ended in the very first round of the main draw.

The 2020 African Junior tennis champion fell to a 6-3, 6-2 defeat against Canada’s Mia Kupres. Apart from Okutoyi, other Kenyans who have competed at Wimbledon are Christian Vitulli and Paul Wekesa.

Vitulli reached boys doubles quarterfinals in 2006, while Wekesa was eliminated in men’s singles first round in 1996.