Chapepa, Mtisi win ITF tourney

ZIMBABWE’S top junior tennis players, Kudzai Chapepa and Ronan Mtisi flew the country’s flag up high after they won the ITF J30 Bulawayo World Tennis Tour Circuit second leg that concluded on Saturday at Bulawayo Country Club.

Chapepa and Mtisi won the girls’ and boys’ singles events respectively on home soil before going on to claim top accolades in the doubles events as well.

It was a successful outing for Zimbabwean players who proved that the future of tennis looks bright in the country.

Chapepa was the tournament’s number one seed and produced a stellar performance which saw her defeat unseeded Caressa Jackson from New Zealand in the final to claim the top honours. She also won the girls’ doubles alongside Milan Swanepoel of South Africa.

The tournament came to an end on Saturday.

Zimbabwe and Africa’s number one seed in the Under-16 girls’ category beat Jackson 2-0 with set scores of 6-4, 6-4 to win an ITF tournament on home soil.

On her road to the final, she first went past unseeded Amit Avgi of Israel, beating her 6-1 and 6-3 before going on to secure a 6-1, 6-1 win over South Africa’s Lindsey Phillips.

In the quarter finals, Chapepa beat eighth seeded Israeli, Abigail Rosenski 6-3, 6-0 to set up a semi-final date against unseeded Anya Taylor from Britain. Taylor was to retire hurt from the tie with Chapepa having won the first set 6-0 before going on to beat Jackson in the final.

In the doubles, Chepepa and Swanepoel beat the duo of Xingtong Jiang (China) and Karolina Kostiukova (Ukraine) 6-0, 6-4.

Building up to her doubles success, Chapepa and her partner Swanepoel beat the Zimbabwean duo of Tendai Makunike and Thandiwe Nkala 6-1, 6-1 in the first round before going on to register a 6-2, 6-1 win over Avgi and Mila Niv, both from Israel in the quarter finals.

They would go on to beat the duo of Simphiwe Malunguza and Taylor 6-3, 6-2 in the semi-finals to set up a final tie against Jiang and Kostiukova who made the finals after a 6-0, 6-3 win over Ruvarashe Magaira (Zimbabwe) and Rethabile Moshaoa (Botswana).

The 17 year old second seeded Mtisi completed a double on Saturday having won the first leg of the tournament. He beat fifth seeded Cuan Western of South Africa 6-4, 6-0 in the final to make it a memorable event.

On his road to the final, Mtisi started with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Hlumani Kekana of South Africa in the first round before go8ing on to beat Abbas Mohammed from the United States of America (USA) 6-2, 6-4 in the second round.

In the quarter finals, Mtisi faced seventh seeded Oluhle Senti of South Africa whom he beat 6-3, 6-2 to proceed to the semifinals for a clash against eight seeded Israel Dowie of Namibia. Mtisi comfortably won 6-3, 6-2 for a final tie against Western which he went on to win.

Mtisi’s doubles partner was Western and were made to toil in the final by the duo of Om Kumaran Chinnaswamy (Australia) and Rishi Janakaraj (India) whom they eventually beat 4-6, 6-4, 10-7.

In the first round of the doubles event, Mtisi and Western began their journey with a 6-0, 6-3 over Kudiwanashe Mtambo and Noah Samushonga both of Zimbabwe. In the quarter-finals they went on top face Tinotenda Gotosa (USA), and Maqhawe Qame (Botswana), however, they proceeded through a walkover.

Following their qualification to the last four, they went on to face an all Zimbabwean duo of Clandestine Ndiringepi and Makanaka Whata in the semifinals and they won 6-2, 7-5. – @brandon_malvin