ACCRA, Ghana – Auburn sophomore Angella Okutoyi captured the gold medal in singles and silver medal in doubles on Thursday at the 2024 African Games in Accra, Ghana. The Nairobi, Kenya native started her day by defeating Lamis Elhussein Salama of Egypt to claim the singles gold. She and partner Cynthia Cheruto Wanjala then fell to Egypt's Merna Mostafa Refaat Elkotb and Sandra Sameh Samir in the doubles finals.
Okutoyi became the first Kenyan player to win the gold in singles at the African Games since Jane Davies-Doxzon in 1978.
Angella Okutoyi is the 2024 African Games singles champion 🇰🇪🥇
— ITF (@ITFTennis) March 21, 2024
The World No. 532 will be able to take her direct qualification spot to @Paris2024 if she climbs into the world's top 400 by 10 June. #AfricanGames pic.twitter.com/Opub9oRpak
The Auburn sophomore received a bye in the round of 64, then earned straight set victories in her next three matches for a spot in the singles semifinals. She then picked up the highest ranked professional win of her career in three sets over Egypt's Mayar Sherif, who holds a WTA singles ranking of 70th, in the semifinal round in a match that lasted over four hours.
After dropping the first set to Sherif, Okutoyi mounted a comeback in the second set by winning five consecutive games to claim the set 7-5 and force the match into a decisive third set. The third set ended in a tiebreaker won by Okutoyi to earn a spot in the finals.
In Thursday's final, the 20-year-old defeated Elhussein Salama 6-2, 6-4 to clinch the gold medal.
In doubles, Okutoyi and Wanjala won two matches to reach the quarterfinal round. In the quarterfinal round, the Kenyan duo split sets against Sandy Sierra Finda and Elena Asgill-Whalley of Sierra Leone before claiming a close tiebreaker 12-10. Okutoyi and Wanjala then won the semifinal by forfeit to earn a spot in the finals.
Currently, the Auburn sophomore is ranked 532nd in the world by the WTA. If she climbs into the top 400 in the world by June 10, she will receive a direct ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
In December, Okutoyi became the first Kenyan player to ever sweep the singles and doubles titles at an ITF W25 event when she did so at the W25 Nairobi. She also made history in July by becoming the second Kenyan player to earn a professional singles title by capturing the ITF W15 Monastir. The only other Kenyan to win a professional tennis title is Paul Wekesa, who won the Andorra Challenger in 1994.