The 2022 Wimbledon Doubles junior champion Angela Okutoyi defeated Egyptian Abdelaziz Lamiz 6-4 6-2 on Thursday to win the African Games tennis title in Accra, Ghana.
The Auburn-based university student becomes the first Kenyan to win gold in the category since the 1978 Games in Algiers, Algeria, when Jane Davies defeated Susan Wakhungu in an all-Kenyan final.
The three-time Kenya Open champion dominated the match from the opening games, serving several winners past the Egyptian to take a 3-0 lead. Lamiz was not going down without a fight and broke Okutoyi's serve in the fourth and fifth games to reduce the deficit to 3-2
Okutoyi's strong service game and agility powered her way to the fifth and sixth games and lead 4-2 but Lamiz fought back to tie the match at 4-4 in a captivating first set.
The 20-year-old Okutoyi showed her resilience and mental fortitude to win the final two games of the set.
A broken Lamiz was no match for Okutoyi in the second set. The Kenyan carried the momentum from the first set with punishing groundstroke returns and agility to race to victory, sending the small pocket of Kenyan tennis players and fans into a frenzy.
A delighted Okutoyi was over the moon following the triumph the first for Kenya in 48 years and hoped the win would inspire that nothing is impossible
"This just means so much to me a childhood dream coming to light participating at the @olympics . Hope this gives someone watching a belief that anything is possible
Okutoyi, seeded fourth at the tournament, had edged 70th-ranked Mayar Sheriff of Egypt 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 in an epic semifinal on Wednesday.
The win saw Okutoyi edge closer to qualification for the Paris Olympics.
She targets to storm the top 400 in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) rankings by June 10. She is currently ranked 532.
