Jubilant scenes as Okutoyi returns home after Australian Open heroics

There was an air of celebration as Kenya’s Angella Okutoyi received a hero’s welcome on her return to Nairobi following her ground-breaking exploits at the Australian Open Junior Championships.

Landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Okutoyi was greeted by a host of well-wishers including Tennis Kenya President James Kenani and Secretary General Wanjiru Mbugua-Karani, and Olympic Committee of Kenya Secretary General Francis Mutuku.

Okutoyi, who turned 18 on Saturday, made history at the Australian Open by becoming the first Kenyan girl to record a Junior Grand Slam match-win, while she was the first since 1978 to even compete at a major.

By reaching the third round, Okutoyi, who was a member of the Grand Slam Player Development Programme/ITF Touring Team, equalled the previous best result of a Kenyan junior at a Grand Slam. Christian Vitulli advanced to the third round at the US Open Junior Tennis Championships in 2005.