Kenyan tennis sensation Angella Okutoyi made history on Saturday, July 9, becoming the first Kenyan woman to win at the Wimbledon final.
The 18-year-old tennis star was playing alongside Dutch international Rose Marie Nijkamp in the women's junior doubles tournament.
Okutoyi and her partner had to dig deep after tying with the Canadian duo after two sets. In the tie-breaker, the Canadians fell 11-9 to Nijkamp and Okutoyi (3-6, 6–4).
After winning the semis Okutoyi was full of praise for her partner noting that they had a good bond during the tournament.
“The match was interesting but not easy at all. However, my partner and I really fought through it. We were losing it but we kept calm and strong and that's how we got the win," Okutoyi stated.
The teen sensation became the first Kenyan to reach the final of a Grand Slam alongside Dutch partner Rose Marie Nijkamp after beating Nikola Daubenova of Serbia and Circa Bagaric of Croatia 6-3 6-4 in the semifinals on Friday.
Okutoyi had shifted her focus to the doubles after her singles run in the tournament, where she was making her debut, 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.
The 18-year-old was able to feature at the Grand Slam after being invited to join Grand Slam Player Development Programme/ITF Touring Teams.
Under the programme, the players travel as part of a team where they have access to Grand Slam coaches and gain exposure to events outside of their region.
Okutoyi put Kenya's name on the global map after she became the first Kenyan woman to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament after winning two matches in Australia back in January.
The teenage star despite hailing from a humble background has been able to debunk the myth that tennis is a rich man's sport.