Angella Okutoyi is a famed Kenyan professional tennis player. She is one of the best tennis players in Africa and among the world’s best upcoming talents. Angella made history in 2022 when she became the first Kenyan and Black African to win a major tennis title. She partnered with Dutch tennis player Rose Marie Nijkamp at the Wimbledon event to win a Grand Slam title in the girls’ doubles. Angella was into the history books again in 2024 during the All Africa games in Ghana. This is after she became the first Kenyan to win a gold medal in tennis since 1978.
She is also Kenya’s first ITF World Tennis Tour singles Tournament winner in the ITF W15 in November 2022 in Monastir, Tunisia. Okutoyi followed up with her first win ITF W25 title in December 2023 in Nairobi.
Age and Birthday
Angella was born in Nairobi, Kenya on 29 January 2004. She is 20 years old as of 2024.
Angella Okutoyi Family
Together with her twin sister, Angella began her educational journey at Mbagathi Primary School. It’s not clear at the moment where the tennis prodigy got her secondary education. We will vanish you with the details as soon as we get them.
In 2023, Angella joined Auburn University in the USA for her tennis and education scholarship.
Angella Okutoyi Career
Humble beginnings
Coming from a humble background, Angella and her sister were greatly involved in sports as their major source of inspiration. At the age of four they were introduced to tennis by the then tennis coach at Loreto Convent School where their grandma worked as a support staff. The young twins would spend hours each day playing tennis anonymous to them at the time it would in future open doors for them.
With no proper support for the sport, Angella hardly had any opportunities to participate competitions. She was only limited to the ones hosted by slum-based organizations at her local primary school grounds. The fact that she would at many a times train and compete with older kids helped in building her resilience and mentality.
ITF Training Centre enrollment
Her breakthrough came in 2014 at the age of 10 when she enrolled at the ITF East Africa Regional Training Centre in Burundi. She made her international debut at the East African Zonal Championships in the same year and finished in second position. Unfortunately, following civil unrest in Burundi, Angella returned to Nairobi and joined the ITF Training Centre based at Nairobi club.
Junior Career
In the 2022 Australian Open, Angella won her first two rounds in three sets but lost her third round match. Her performance however made her the first Kenyan to make it to the third round in a tennis major. She won the girls’ doubles in partnership with Rose Marie Nijkamp of Netherlands at the Wimbledon.
In the ITF World Tennis Tour singles, Angella became Kenya’s first Tournament winner in the ITF W15 in November 2022 in Monastir, Tunisia. She as well won her first ITF W25 in December 2023 in Nairobi.
In the ITF doubles, Okutonyi has won the ITF W15 in November 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya (partner: Smriti Bhasin), ITF W15 in July 2023 in Monastri, Tunisia (partner: Beverley Nyangon) and ITF W25 in December in Nairobi (partner: Sada Nahimana).
All African games Gold medal
During the 2024 All Africa games held in Ghana, the gifted athlete made history again as the first Kenyan Woman to win a Gold medal in tennis in the last 46 years. She consequently qualified for the Paris Olympics later in the year.