Teenager Angela Okutoyi will be banking on home advantage as the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tennis Tour hard-court event serves off at Peponi School on Saturday.
The 15-year-old, who has been training at the school for over a year with the ITF East Africa Training Centre, said training on the same surface will be an added advantage to her in the quest to win the crown.
“I’m definitely pretty confident because I feel like I can play really good tennis on these courts. I have shown that in the training we have been having for over a year now. So I will have that sense of calmness and comfort when I go into this tournament knowing that,” Okutoyi said.
Okutoyi drew attention to her name a year ago when at only 14 years, she won Britam Kenya Open by beating three-time Kenya Open winner Shufaa Changawa to become the youngest player ever to win the title. Okutoyi, who is also the Africa Under-14 girls’ champion, Africa Cup of Nations silver medalist, said playing in the hardcourt is something very different from the clay-court normally used in the country.
“Of course the hard court is a different ball game altogether. The bounce is always consistent but faster. But with the clay court, the bounce is higher and slower. In the beginning, I struggled with the bounce but with the sessions I have had, I can confidently say, I can handle it,” said Okutoyi, who is the first Kenyan to reach the final in either category (men or women0 at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Commenting on her chances at the event, which is returning to the country after a 10-year hiatus, the soft-spoken Okutoyi said she will not put herself under pressure of winning it but her main target will be to improve her game and take one step at a time. “I’m only 15 and so matches will come and go. Wins will come and go and therefore for me, the most important thing is just to keep improving and keep getting my game better,” she noted.
Her coach at the ITF East Africa Centre, Francis Rogoi, said the tournament which has attracted over 50 participants from all over the world will play a key role in shaping the Pennfoster School pupil.
“This is a good event for her. Because she is coming up against some experienced players from all over the globe, she will want to prove something and at the same time try to learn. So it’s a good event for her,” Rogoi said. Other Kenyans in the event are Judy Nkatha, Faith Nyabera and Shania Kaur.
