Okutoyi soars to career-high WTA ranking after back-to-back Nairobi wins

Kenyan tennis star Angella Okutoyi is enjoying the best spell of her career after climbing to a personal high of world No. 414 in the latest Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) singles rankings.

The 21-year-old’s breakthrough follows a stunning run on home soil, where she swept back-to-back W35 Nairobi titles, triggering a jump of over 80 places from her previous ranking of 561.

Competing in front of Kenyan fans, the African Games singles champion sealed both singles and doubles crowns in consecutive tournaments, completing a rare “quadruple crown” across two weeks.

In both singles finals, Okutoyi defeated Italy’s Martina Colmegna, underlining her growing consistency, composure and tactical sharpness.

The wins lifted her singles points to 147 and capped a rapid rise that began earlier this month when she first jumped into the world’s top 500, from 561 to 476.

The surge has also reshaped Africa’s tennis ladder. Okutoyi is now the fifth-highest-ranked African woman in singles, trailing only Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, Egypt’s Mayar Sherif, Burundi’s Sada Nahimana and Sandra Samir of Egypt.

Her success extended to doubles as well. Partnering Poland’s Zuzanna Pawlikowska and later the Netherlands’ Demi Tran, Okutoyi claimed two doubles titles, pushing her doubles ranking from 249 to world No. 223, the second-highest in Africa.

Currently completing her final semester at Auburn University in the United States on a full scholarship, Okutoyi is set to turn professional in mid-2026.

With Paris 2024 narrowly missed, her focus now shifts firmly to Los Angeles 2028 — and judging by her current momentum, Kenya’s tennis trailblazer is only just getting started.