Nairobi student takes acclaim at tennis awards
Angella Okutoyi, a student-athlete at Auburn University in the US, received the Rising Star award at this year's Tennis Black Awards, presented in association with Dante Talent and held during the HSBC Championships at The Queen's Club, London on the 11th of June, supported by the LTA.
The Rising Star award aims to promote and display emerging player talent in the UK and internationally for players up to 21 years old, with Okutoyi the first Kenyan to win a Grand Slam title at the girls' juniors Wimbledon event when she partnered Rose Marie Nijkamp.
She was one of two winners to receive the Rising Star award, alongside Washington D.C.'s Clervie Ngounoue.
'I'm truly honoured to receive the Rising Star Award from the Tennis Black List,' said Okutoyi. It means so much to be recognised for my journey and to be celebrated among so many amazing black athletes in the sport.
Thank you so much for this award, it truly inspires me to keep pushing forward.'
Tennis Black List is the global celebration of Black and mixed black excellence across the game — spotlighting the unsung, the visionary and the next generation of changemakers.
Taking place in the run up to The Championships at Wimbledon, the Tennis Black List recognises the contributions of individuals and organisations from grassroots level up to the professional game in Britain and internationally.
It follows the example set by the successful and respected Football Black List, created by Leon Mann MBE and Rodney Hinds, and Rugby Black List which have demonstrated the power that celebrating black excellence can achieve in sport.
The event was an opportunity to inspire the next generation in the tennis community, with the commitment shown by the winners on and off the court.
Awards were handed out in ten categories across the evening at the ceremony, with several recipients present at the The Queen's Club.
Founders Anne-Marie Batson and Richard Sackey Addo said: 'This movement is about legacy. Tennis Black List is creating space for Black and mixed-black heritage excellence to be seen, honoured and remembered across all areas of tennis. We are building a global legacy that makes space for what is next.'
Launched in 2022; Tennis Black List is the only global platform dedicated to celebrating and documenting Black and mixed-black impact in tennis — from grassroots organisers to elite players. A movement rooted in recognition, legacy, and cultural celebration.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
22 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Queen's Club Tennis Championships 2025: Monday's schedule, prize money, draw, format and how to watch on TV
American player Tommy Paul won last year's Queen's Championship - but is not back to defend his title. | AFP via Getty Images It's the traditional grass count season curtain-raiser for Wimbledon. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... One of the oldest tennis tournaments in the world, the Queen's Club Championships can trace its history back to 1881 - when it was called the London Athletic Club Open Tournament and was held at Stamford Bridge. It moved to its current location in 1890 and was known as the London Grass Court Championships before taking the name of its venue in 1977. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In 1973 the women's event was discontinued, but returned this year, where qualifier Tatjana Maria beat four top 15 players to unexpectedly take the title. It's now the turn of the men to take to the court, with world number two Carlos Alcaraz and British number one Jack Draper in the draw. And while Andy Murray, who won a record five singles titles between 2009 and 2016, is not longer playing there is some Scottish interest, with Dalkeith-born Jacob Fearnley and honourary Scot Cameron Norrie (his dad's from Glasgow) both playing. Here's everything you need to know about the tournament, which runs from June 16-22. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad How much does the winner of the Queen's Club Championships get? There is a total prize pot of €2,522,220 for the 2025 championship, allocated as follows: Men's Singles Winner: €471,755 Finalist: €253,790 Semi-finalist: €135,255 Quarter-finalist: €69,100 Round of 16: €36,885 Round of 32: €19,670 Doubles (per team) Winner: €154,930 Finalist: €82,620 Semi-finalist: €41,800 Quarter-finalist: €20,910 Round of 16: €10,820 Who is playing today at Queens , Monday, June 16? The first day of action will see the first six games of first round. Here's who will be on court, and the estimated time of their matches. Roberto Bautista Agut v Nuno Borges (12 noon) Mackenzie McDonald v Gael Monfils (4.30pm) Frances Tiafoe v Daniel Evans (12noon) Holger Rune v Matteo Arnaldi (1.30pm) Cameron Norrie v Jakub Mensik (3pm) Jacob Fearnley v Alex Bolt (4.30pm) Who are the seeds at the 2025 Queen's Club Championships? The eight seeds, who will be kept apart until the quarter finals, are as follows: Carlos Alcaraz Jack Draper Taylor Fritz Holger Rune Alex de Minaur Ben Shelton Frances Tiafoe Jakub Menšík What's the fist round draw at the 2025 Queen's Club Championships? Top half: C Alcaraz v A Davidovich Fokina J Thompson v J Munar R Opelka v C Ugo Carabelli A Rinderknech v B Shelton H Rune v M Arnaldi M McDonald v G Monfils R Bautista Agut v N Borges C Norrie v J Menšík Bottom half: A de Minaur v J Lehečka G Diallo v B Harris J Fearnley v A Bolt C Moutet v T Fritz F Tiafoe v D Evans B Nakashima v G Mpetshi Perricard A Popyrin v A Vukic J Brooksby v J Draper Can I watch the 2025 Queen's Club Championships on television? All the action from the grass courts will be broadcast on the BBC, including BBC Two, BBC One, the BBC Sport website and the iPlayer. Here's when you can catch all the action: Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Monday 16 June - 1pm: BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website/app Tuesday 17 June - 1pm: BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website/app Wednesday 18 June - 1pm: BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website/app Thursday 19 June - 1pm: BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website/app Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Friday 20 June - 1pm: BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website/app Saturday 21 June - 12pm: BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website/app, 1pm: Watch Queen's Tennis semi-finals on BBC Two Sunday 22 June - 12pm: BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website/app. 2.05pm: Watch Queen's Tennis final on BBC One Who is favourite to win the 2025 Queen's Club Championships? Carlos Alcaraz is understandably a hot 6/5 favourite for the title, followed by Britain's Jack Draper (4/1), Taylor Fritz (10/1) and Alex De Minaur (11/1).
Scotsman
30 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Tennis ace Andy Murray becomes first ambassador for Walker's shortbread in 'proudly Scottish' campaign
Tennis legend Andy Murray has been announced as the first-ever brand ambassador for Walker's Shortbread, marking a major milestone in the 127-year history of the family-owned business. The iconic multi-year partnership is a celebration of Scotland at its finest – spotlighting the shared sense of national heritage, pride, and understated charm of two of Scotland's most famous exports. Both the tennis star and the shortbread brand started small, in little Scottish towns and through years of dedication and hard work honing their craft, have gone on to achieve international recognition. It is that shared journey that inspired the campaign's message: 'A Wee Bit of Scotland that's Come a Long Way'. Andy Murray, tennis champion and the new face of Walker's Shortbread, said: "I am proudly Scottish, and partnering with Walker's, a brand that has been representing Scotland around the world for well over a century, felt like a great fit for me. 'I come from a small tight-knit community and when I look back at where I have come from, I am proud of what I've achieved, which is something I share with Walker's. 'It's a real honour to be part of this next chapter for such a well-loved Scottish brand.' Picture: Charlie Clift With 46 tour titles under his belt and three Grand Slam wins - the two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner, and self-proclaimed shortbread super fan, added: "I've been eating shortbread since I was a kid – my gran would make it all the time for us. We even celebrated my Wimbledon win with shortbread. 'Shortbread is one of my simple pleasures. No matter where I am in the world, a piece of Walker's Shortbread always transports me back home.' Nicky Walker, managing director, Walker's Shortbread said: "We are incredibly excited to welcome Andy Murray as our very first brand ambassador. "We've always admired Andy's achievements, his dedication and his cautious charisma as well as his very obvious close relationship with his own family. "These are qualities that resonate deeply with our own values at Walker's Shortbread. We are genuinely honoured that Andy and his team have acknowledged Walker's as a suitable partner, and we are looking forward to this exciting new venture as we continue to promote 'Scotland at its Finest'.' The partnership will debut with a bold, striking black and white campaign, launching on 30 June to coincide with the start of Wimbledon. Shot with a cinematic feel, the ad showcases the shared qualities of both the brand and the tennis champion with a humorous twist – a nod to the warmth and wit Scotland is known for. An advertising campaign will see the hero image appear in major train stations across the UK, while the video campaign will roll out across social media and digital platforms.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Alcaraz still in disbelief after Roland Garros triumph
June 16 (Reuters) - Carlos Alcaraz says he still looks back on his extraordinary French Open triumph over world number one Jannik Sinner with a sense of disbelief, as the Spaniard prepares to shift focus to his bid for a hat-trick of Wimbledon titles. The 22-year-old fought back from two sets down and saved three successive match points in an unlikely 4-6 6-7(4) 6-4 7-6(3) 7-6(10-2) victory against the Italian in a match that mesmerised the Paris crowd. "(There are) a lot of videos from that match, from that moment, match point down and I still watch it sometimes, and I still don't believe that I come back from that moment," Alcaraz told reporters on Sunday. "So sometimes it's difficult to realise that I'm in this position, that I won the French Open, watching the videos from 40-love, in that moment. So I'm still watching those videos." The five-times Grand Slam champion recharged his batteries with a short trip to Ibiza but is back in harness ahead of his campaign at Queen's Club, where he faces countryman Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in his opener on Tuesday. Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the season, runs from June 30 to July 13.
