*Undated
Tennis was one of the few sports that successfully navigated the stormy seas of Covid-19 for the past year, or so.
Amidst the ravaging implications of the pandemic, the sport surged on and produced outstanding achievers both on the local and the international front.
Notable among the achievers is Angela Okutoyi, who took the country by storm following her splendid performance at the Kenya Open Championship where she craftily outmanoeuvred her opponents to cruise to the winners' podium.
Okutoyi, who currently places 142nd in the world rankings, looks forward to a similar whirlwind in 2022 as she embarks on another title hunt at the Australian Open junior tournament in Melbourne.
In Melbourne, the teen sensation will look to gauge herself against the world's top cream as she hopes to land an invite to feature in the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open later in the year.
Okutoyi's coach Thuku Rogoi believes the sky's the limit for the Tennis prodigy. “I'm confident Angela is going places and with the opportunities coming from Grand Slam tournaments, she will become a better player and I believe she will move up the rankings,” added Rogoi.
Okutoyi said she is relishing gracing the biggest venues that host the sport, including Melbourne Park. “I'm really excited. It's been a dream to play in the Grand Slam tournaments because it will be a great opportunity to brush shoulders with the best players in the world,” added Okutoyi.
Okutoyi finished the year strongly by beating Aya El Aouni of Morocco 6-3, 6-3 at the 2021 Africa Junior Under-18 Championships in Sousse, Tunisia in November.
Okutoyi termed the victory the toughest of the year after she overcame the heat and minor injury concerns on her way to the title. “It was one of the most challenging adjustments to the climate and playing back-to-back events was not easy and I had to dig deep to win and make the country proud,” said Okutoyi. She hopes that in 2022, there will be a semblance of normality on the tennis calendar especially internationally.
“I hope to play as many tournaments as possible and I hope to get as many more opportunities to play internationally against the best players in the world,” she added.