By OUR CORRESPONDENT
Angella Okutoyi, Kenya’s most decorated tennis player, has arrived in London and officially begun the next chapter of her professional career.
The 22-year-old relocated to the United Kingdom (UK) late last month, where she will now base her professional training and competition schedule as she sets her sights on competing at the highest levels of the sport.
Angella made history in 2022 as the first Kenyan to win a Grand Slam title when she captured the Wimbledon Girls’ Doubles Championship alongside Dutch tennis partner Rose Marie Nijkamp, defeating Canadians Kayla Cross and Victoria Mboko in a thrilling three-set final (3-6, 6-4, 11-9).
She also made history at the 2024 AFCON Games becoming the first Kenyan woman in 46 years to win Singles Gold.
Her arrival in London follows a stellar collegiate career at Auburn University in the United States, during which she and Egyptian Merna Refaat earned ITA Doubles All-American honours for the 2025/2026 season.
The pair finished the campaign ranked seventh nationally in the United States, compiling an impressive 19-4 record during the spring season, including a dominant 6-1 run in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Their performances proved instrumental in Auburn’s historic run to the NCAA national finals – the first such achievement in that university’s history.
She completed her studies at Auburn in May this year and is now fully committed to the professional circuit.
“I had a wonderful time at College, made some great friends, earned my degree, and improved my game substantially. Now I feel fully ready to take on the big world of professional tennis, although I know the challenges ahead of me.”
Based in south-west London – in fact near Wimbledon – Angella will benefit from access to high-quality training facilities, and will work under a very experienced coaching team comprising former Zimbabwean players Wayne and Cara Black and Brett Stephens.
Between them, Wayne and Cara won fourteen Grand Slam Doubles titles, including winning Wimbledon and the French Open together. Cara spent many years as the number one doubles player in the world.
Wayne reached World No. 4. Both reached the Top 100 in the world singles ranking. Brett has previously worked with 14-time Grand Slam Champion, Pete Sampras.
Angella’s immediate playing schedule will see her compete in a tournament in Aschaffenburg, Germany, where she is defending her Doubles title from 2025 with American Rasheeda McAdoo, and then four tournaments in five weeks back in the UK.
Her professional transition is supported by financial sponsorship from Swiss entities, Bank Syz and leading sportswear brand, On.
In addition, On, through its Africa office, has extended essential footwear and apparel. Angella’s racquets will be supplied by Japanese sporting brand, Yonex.
Further support comes from a variety of other elite organisations including professional services network, Deloitte; Pan-African law firm, Bowmans; the sports medicine brand, Performance Medicine; professional accounting, auditing, and management consulting firm, DeLyde Associates; sports development social enterprise, DBA Africa; and brand marketing and advertising firm Creative Edge.
What does the future hold for Angella?
Her immediate target is to improve her rankings so that she is eligible to play in the sport’s four Majors, sometime during 2027 (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open).
Angella also plans to defend her AFCON Gold Medal in Egypt in January 2027, with her sights firmly set on qualifying for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, which would make her the first Kenyan tennis player to feature at the Summer Olympics.
