Kenya’s Angella Okutoyi wins maiden WTA Title at Angola Ladies Open

Kenya’s Angella Okutoyi has added another milestone to her tennis career after claiming her maiden Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title at the 2026 Angola Ladies Open. (Photo: NOCK)

Kenya’s Angella Okutoyi has added another milestone to her tennis career after claiming her maiden Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) title at the 2026 Angola Ladies Open on Saturday, November 7.

The 22-year-old partnered Burundi’s Sada Nahimana to win the W125 doubles crown, defeating Poland’s Martyna Kubka and Justina Mikulskye 6-4, 6-4 in the final staged at Lwena Court.

The victory marked Okutoyi’s first professional title on the WTA circuit, providing a memorable highlight in her growing career.

Speaking after the final, Okutoyi expressed her gratitude to Nahimana, revealing that the Angola triumph was their third successful outing as partners.

“I want to congratulate our opponents for such a good match, but we got the win, and I know one day you will too. I want to thank Sada for playing with me.

It was very nice, and this was the third time we have played together and won. Especially, this being my first WTA title and winning it with you means a lot, so thank you so much,” the 22-year-old Okutoyi said after securing her maiden WTA crown.

Nahimana, 25, also celebrated the victory and praised her Kenyan partner for her contribution throughout the tournament.

“I’m so happy today. I want to congratulate Justina and Kubka for a good match, but I also want to thank Angie for agreeing to play with me throughout the week. She plays well and is amazing,” said 25-year-old Nahimana, who has achieved career-high WTA rankings of No. 218 in singles and No. 199 in doubles, as she showered Okutoyi with praise.

The two players produced a strong campaign to reach the final, beginning with a straight-sets victory over Tiphanie Lemaitre and Sandra Samir in the round of 16 on Wednesday.

They followed that result with a 7-5, 7-5 win against top seeds Zongyu Li and Kristina Novak to book their place in the semifinals.

Their progress to the final was completed through a walkover after their quarterfinal opponents, Maayan Laron and Madhurima Sawant, withdrew from the contest.

Okutoyi’s doubles success came after a difficult singles debut at the tournament. She made her first appearance in a WTA main draw on November 3 but exited in the round of 32 following a 6-0, 7-5 defeat to eighth seed Sofya Lansere.

Nahimana also failed to progress beyond the opening round of the singles competition, losing 2-1 to Franziska Sziedat.

The Angola Ladies Open was the country’s first WTA 125 event, featuring a 32-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles competition, with US$115,000 in total prize money.

Okutoyi and Nahimana will share US$5,700 (approximately Sh741,458) for winning the doubles competition.

Currently ranked No. 415 in singles and No. 174 in doubles, Okutoyi has enjoyed steady progress in 2026. She has reached career-high rankings of No. 414 in singles and No. 174 in doubles.

She previously made history as the first Kenyan to win a Grand Slam title after claiming the Wimbledon girls’ doubles crown. She later added another major achievement by winning women’s singles gold at the 2024 African Games.

The Angola triumph now gives the Kenyan another significant achievement as she continues to make her mark in professional tennis.