African junior champion Angela Okutoyi's bid for a Grand Slam title ended abruptly at the French Open after losing 6-2, 6-4 to Croatian Petra Marcinko in the second round on Monday.
The 16-year-old Kenyan sensation had opened her campaign with a straight-sets victory over Belgian Angie van Impe on Sunday, but faced a sterner test against the Australian Open girls' singles champion.
Marcinko, who reached the third round at the Australian Open in January, secured a dominant straight-sets win that halted Okutoyi's progression. The Croatian player extended her record as the fourth Croatian to claim the Australian Open girls' title, following Mirjana Lucic (1997), Jelena Kostanic (1998), and Ana Konjuh (2013).
This victory positions Marcinko to potentially become the first player since 2013 to win two junior Grand Slam titles, a feat last achieved by Ana Konjuh and Belinda Bencic. She also aims to make history as the first Croatian to claim the Roland Garros girls' singles title.
