- Angella Okutoyi beat Sandra Samir 6-1, 6-7, 6-1 to qualify for her second consecutive 2026 ITF World Tour Nairobi W35 final.
- The thrilling semifinal was staged at Parklands Sports Club in Nairobi on Saturday, January 10.
- She could face a rematch against fourth-seeded Italian Martina Colmegna or take on eighth-seeded Hungarian Luca Udvardy in Sunday’s final.
Kenya’s tennis ace Angella Okutoyi has booked a place in the final of the second leg of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Tour Nairobi W35 after defeating Egyptian powerhouse Sandra Samir in a thrilling three-set encounter, winning 6-1, 6-7, 6-1.
In an electrifying semifinal staged at Parklands Sports Club in Nairobi on Saturday, January 10, the sensational Okutoyi got off to a flying start, cruising comfortably to a 6-1 victory in the opening set.
The second set, however, proved far more competitive as the two players battled intensely.
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Angella Okutoyi beat Sandra Samir to qualify for ITF Nairobi W35 final
Despite Okutoyi fighting back from two service games down to level at 5-5, Samir held her nerve in the tiebreak to clinch the set 7-6 and force a decider.
Much like the first set, the African Games champion regained her dominance in the third.
She raced to a commanding 4-0 lead from the outset. Though Samir managed to claim one game, Okutoyi sealed victory by winning the next two service games, booking her place in the championship match.
The Wimbledon historic champion will now contest her second consecutive final, having also reached last weekend’s final where she went on to lift the title after defeating Martina Colmegna in 2-1 sets.
She will be aiming to clinch yet another crown and continue her impressive run on home soil.
After missing out in six events last year- with early exits in Nairobi, the USA, and the Netherlands, Okutoyi is pursuing her second ITF W35 title.
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She previously triumphed in 2023, capturing both the W25 Nairobi and W15 Monastir tournaments in Tunisia.
The Auburn University student has maintained strong form in this second leg, especially after being named among the beneficiaries of the Olympic solidarity scholarships awarded by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) on Wednesday.
This selection marks her second inclusion in the NOC-K Individual Athlete Scholarship Programme.
The 21-year-old is determined to build momentum ahead of the 2028 Games, aiming to break onto the global stage after narrowly missing the last edition of the Paris Olympics due to falling just outside the world’s top 400.
Her current performances have already demonstrated her potential.
In the final, she will compete for another $4,860 (approximately Ksh 626,470) in prize money and 35 ranking points to boost her standing.
She could face a rematch against fourth-seeded Italian Martina Colmegna or take on eighth-seeded Hungarian Luca Udvardy, depending on the outcome of their semifinal clash on Saturday.