Okutoyi advances in doubles in Britain as Yego and Chandarana exit singles at J60 Nairobi

African Games singles gold medallist Angella Okutoyi is still alive in the doubles title race at the W75 Glasgow even as fellow Kenyans Stacy Yego and Aum Chandarana bowed out of the singles quarter-finals at the ITF J60 Nairobi held at Nairobi Club on Thursday.

Yego, 18, lost 6-3, 6-3 by Egyptian Noor Elmalt in the girls’ singles, while 15-year-old Chandarana went down 6-3, 6-1 to Aydin Ziya of Turkey on the boys’ side. The two youngsters, who prepare together under respected coach Rosemary Owino at 254 Racket Club in Loresho, were the sole Kenyan representatives to reach the last eight. Their loss leave Kenya without a player in the singles semi-finals during the opening week of the junior grade event.

Both looked impressive in the group stage, winning all their matches. Chandarana wrapped up Group G by overpowering Ayan Shetty 6-3, 3-6, 11-9, and Yego completed Group D with a 3-6, 7-5, 10-6 victory over Indian Sanmitha Lokesh on Wednesday.

The girls’ semi-final line-up will see Denmark’s Sofie Espersen face Elmalt from Egypt, while Egypt’s Sara Dessouky meets Turkey’s Ecrin Yavuz. On the boys’ side, Austria’s Hector Freitas takes on Ziya and France’s Thomas Piot meets Mexican Moreno Mendoza.

Kenyan interest is now on doubles. Yego and Felicia Ouko are the only locals remaining. Second seeds Yego and Yavuz will meet Espersen and Austria’s Mia Neumueller in the girls’ doubles quarter-finals, while Ouko partners South Africa’s Annabelle van Zyl against top seeds Deniz Cakil of Turkey and Milana Kolesova.

A second J60 Nairobi is scheduled once the current tournament concludes on October 31, followed by a J100 event in the city. Competitors from Uganda, Burundi, Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, the United States, Egypt, Italy, Ireland, France, Serbia, Germany, the Netherlands, Israel and many other nations have taken part.

In Glasgow, Okutoyi was eliminated from singles in the second round after falling 4-6, 6-1, 3-6 to seventh-seeded Dutch player Suzan Lamens in a match lasting two hours and 12 minutes. She had progressed earlier by trouncing Britain’s Victoria Allen 7-6, 6-3 in the round of 32.

Her doubles campaign with Savannah Dada-Mascoll from Britain has been more successful. The pair saw off Rosie Cho and Lara Savic 6-3, 7-6 in the opening round before upsetting top seeds Freya Christie and Eden Silva 6-7, 6-2, 10-8 in the quarter-finals. They now play Tessa Brockmann and Ella Seidel from Germany in the semi-finals.