By Biodun Busari
Angela Okutoyi, Kenyan tennis player recorded a historic feat on Saturday afternoon, becoming the first ever Kenyan to win a Grandslam.
She made the history alongside Dutch partner, Rose Marie Nijkamp following her girls’ double victory at Wimbledon.
Okutoyi and Nijkamp beat the Canadian duo of Kayla Cross and Victoria Mboko by two sets to one to clinch the history setting victory in the British Capital London.
The duo began the match on a low with the Canadian girls taking the first set 6-3 in 27 minutes.
Okutoyi and Nijkamp, however, fought back and in 32 minutes forced a tie breaker with a 6-4 victory in the second set.
They were not easily defeated in the lead and won the game breaker 11-9.
Okutoyi and Nijkamp had beaten the pair of Nikola Daubnerova (Serbia) and Lucija Ciric Bagaric (Croatia) by straight sets of 6-3-6-4 in Friday evening’s semi-final.
On the way to the final, Okutoyi and Nijkamp swept aside Georgia Pedone (Italy) and Kaitlin Quevedo (USA) 6-4, 6-4, then proceeded to beat Denislava Glushkova (Bulgaria) and Hayu Kinoshita (Japan) 6-2, 6-3.
A ticket to the quarter finals saw them beat the Czech Republic pair of Linda Klimovicova and Dominika Salkova 6-7, 6-4, 11-9.
The Kenyan tennis teen sensation had shifted her focus to the doubles after her singles run in her debut tournament, was halted in the first round of the main draw after going down 6-3, 6-2 against Canada’s Mia Kupres.