Kenya Open champion Angela Okutoyi has set her sights on the Africa Junior Under-18 Championships title ahead of the event next month in Tunis.
In the last two weeks, Okutoyi has had a difficult run on the ITF Tennis circuit, losing to Lucie Nguyen 6-3, 6-1 in the first round in Algiers and Oumaima Aziz of Morocco 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals in Marrakesh.
Albert Njogu lost to home favourite Ismail Sady of Morocco 6-4, 6-4 in the second round as Ryan Randiek lost to Eliakim Coulibaly of Ivory Coast 6-0, 6-2.
This time around, Okutoyi is confident about her chances in the continental showpiece.
"The ITF tournaments have been good preparation for the Africa event and I am seeking to improve and do better,” added Okutoyi.
Kenya will also be represented by Derrick Ominde, Alicia Owegi and Rosehilda Asumwa in the week-long tournament.
Okutoyi said she has adjusted to the cold and windy conditions after playing in the ITF tournaments in Algeria and Morocco. "The weather is pretty much the same so it will not be a problem and I will be able to adapt,” added Okutoyi.
Okutoyi is using the tournament to gain ranking points and participate in the junior tournaments in the grand slam tennis tournaments like the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open.
Top players from South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda are expected to feature in the event.
