The 22-year-old from Melbourne, who a decade ago was the best young tennis player of her age in the country, finished fourth in the Magical Kenya Ladies Open on Sunday with one of the best performances of her burgeoning professional career.

The tournament was won by rising Indian star Aditi Ashok, who blitzed the field to win her fourth LET title by nine shots.

The two-time Olympian raced to victory at the picturesque Vipingo Ridge course near Mombasa, complete with its exotic local wildlife, requiring only a final-round one-over-par 74 to seal victory – and she even managed to take time to admire the giraffes.

"It has been a great week, it's proof to myself that my off-season and hard work has paid off," Ashok said.

"It's definitely different and part of the experience of playing in Kenya. It was cool to see giraffes – I don't think I've ever seen them that close before."

Back in the chasing pack, Tour rookie Ruffels – with her own final round of 74 – finished a shot behind England's Alice Hewson and Thailand's April Angurasaranee, who were tied for second on three-under.

It is still early days for Ruffels in her pro career which sees her playing the nomadic “European” circuit after forgetting to file her entry for LPGA Tour school late last year.

The first Australian to win the US Women's Amateur in 2019, Ruffels has top-15 finishes at the US Women's Open and AIG Women's Open in 2020 already on her resume.

Ruffels secured her spot on the LET late last year thanks to an eighth-place finish at Q-School in La Manga, Spain.

The daughter of tennis players – Australian Ray Ruffels, a men's doubles winner and three-time singles semi-finalist at his home Open, and American Anna-Maria Fernandez – Ruffels attended the University of Southern California to play golf after only turning to golf at 15 following her own promising start in tennis.