18-year-old Kenyan rising star, Angella Okutoyi, has revealed her ambitions. Ranked 66 in the junior ITF rankings, she has seen a dramatic rise in recent seasons and has already set her sights on emulating her idol, Serena Williams.

The signs are surely encouraging after she became the first Kenyan to win a Girls’ Junior Grand match at the Australian Open Juniors this year. As she takes the stage in Paris, she will be hoping to reach the latter stages at the French Open Juniors.

Okutoyi seeking inspiration from Serena Williams

The youngster has idolized 23-time Grand Slam champion. Okutoyi’s coach Francis Rogoi, however, believes that she has the potential to reach her idol’s level of success. “I hope she’s successful in reaching the next level and see if we can have a Serena from Africa,” Rogoi told AFP.

However, the path to the WTA Tour won’t be easy for Okutoyi. With her reaching the final year of her junior career, she will have to adjust as soon as possible to the professional circuit.

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Okutoyi spoke about Williams, and drawing comparisons to her growth, she said, “I might not have read much about her but the much I know is that her background is just like mine. She didn’t have much growing up but she fought on the court to be where she is.” 

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With Serena Williams entering the final years of her glorious career, Okutoyi can surely be among the numerous others vying to emulate the legendary American.

Rise of African tennis on the WTA Tour

There is definitely promise for Okutoyi, who can also take the rise of Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur as inspiration. Jabeur became the first African player to win a WTA 1000 title after her win at the Madrid Open. Okutoyi is a former Africa Under-18 champion after clinching the title in Sousse.

With Africa finally producing some of the best players in the world, the young Kenyan will look to make her way up the ladder in the coming years. However, ranked 1560 in the world in doubles, there is a long way ahead for the rising sensation from Nairobi.