This archive report was first published on 16 November 2019.
On Saturday, November 16, 2019, Kenyan teenager Angela Okutoyi made history by winning the first leg of the International Tennis Federation Juniors tournament at the Nairobi Club.
Okutoyi, a 15-year-old tennis sensation, dominated the court with strong serves, defeating Aisha Niyonkuru of Burundi in the final with a score of 6-1, 6-4.
Okutoyi's victory was not her only achievement of the day. She also teamed up with Niyonkuru to win the doubles final, outclassing Celine Simunyu of Ireland and Alyssa Reguer of France with a score of 6-3, 6-2.
Okutoyi's performance was impressive, with strong serves and accurate stabs that overwhelmed her opponents. Niyonkuru also displayed great skill on the court, with speed and powerful swings that surprised Okutoyi.
Okutoyi attributed her success to her ability to stay alert throughout the match, saying, 'I had to be alert throughout the match because she is a very good player. I am happy I won, but I still have another task next week which I am excited about, because I perform better with challenges.'
Meanwhile, in the boys' singles final, 16-year-old Toky Ranaivo of Madagascar won against Belgium's Alessio Basile in three straight sets, with a score of 4-6, 6-0, 6-0.
Basile, ranked 1128 in the world, put up a good fight in the first set but seemed to lose his game in the last two sets, where Ranaivo took over with powerful unchallenged serves and low and narrow swings.
Ranaivo attributed his success to his training, saying, 'The first leg has been extremely smooth for me, I am hoping next week's competitions will be more challenging and exciting, but I am always in training mode so that my opponents don't catch me off guard.'
The second leg of the three-legged tourney will commence next week on Monday at the same venue.
