Angella Okutoyi wins ITF W35 Nairobi singles title for second time in 2026
By Kenneth Mwenda, January 11, 2026Kenyan tennis player Angella Okutoyi claimed the ITF W35 Nairobi singles trophy for the second time in 2026 after beating Italy’s Martina Colmegna 6-3, 7-6(3) on Sunday, January 11, 2026, at Parklands Sports Club.
The 21-year-old dominated the first set with strong baseline play, taking it 6-3. Colmegna, 29, ranked higher and with more experience, fought back in the second set. She improved her serve and won more points on return, but Okutoyi stayed strong in the tie-break to win the match in straight sets.
Match statistics showed how close the contest was. Okutoyi won 64 points overall, just ahead of Colmegna’s 63. Okutoyi hit one ace and five double faults, while Colmegna had one ace and two double faults.
Okutoyi converted three out of five break points (60 per cent), while Colmegna managed two out of seven (29 per cent). On return points, Okutoyi won 37 per cent, slightly behind Colmegna’s 39 per cent.
Back-to-back Nairobi triumphs
This win marked Okutoyi’s second consecutive week of triumph in Nairobi. Earlier in the month, around January 4, 2026, she won the first leg in a three-set final against the same opponent, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. She also took the doubles title that week with Poland’s Zuzanna Pawlikowska.
Okutoyi displayed strong form throughout the second week. In the first round, she beat Saumya Vig 6-0, 6-1. In the second round, she overcame Lamis Alhussein Abdel Aziz 6-3, 6-3.
She defeated Isabella Shinikova in three sets in the quarter-finals, and then beat Sandra Samir 6-1, 6-7(6), 6-1 in the semi-finals. Her performance built on a solid 2025 season, where she reached several ITF circuit semi-finals and quarter-finals.
The win adds valuable WTA ranking points and prize money to Okutoyi’s tally. She is currently ranked 561 and remains Kenya’s top female tennis player. This victory also brings redemption on home soil after she finished runner-up in the same event in 2025.
Okutoyi, born in 2004, started her journey from humble beginnings. She made history as the first Kenyan to win a junior Grand Slam doubles title at Wimbledon. Now studying at Auburn University in the United States, she balances her academics with professional tennis.