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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
THE parents of late tennis star Tarryn-Leigh De Souza have vowed to continue playing a role in shaping the future for upcoming tennis players.
Speaking at the just-ended Tarryn-Leigh De Souza Junior Memorial Tennis Tournament, Ali De Souza said more needs to be done to ensure players make the transition from juniors to seniors.
“When these sportspersons turn the age of 18, they tend to disappear from the circuit. I don’t know the avenues we can pursue to ensure continuity but something needs to be done because we are losing talent.
“What we need from our athletes is commitment and discipline and our young generation far from drug and substance abuse. Commitment and discipline work hand in glove. I urge parents to instil these in our children.
“We take the tournament as each year comes and we will see what the future has in store but the tournament is here to stay. I was very impressed that the youngsters are playing good tennis and showing commitment, which is good. We’re also happy that as a family we’re contributing towards shaping athletes’ future,” said De Souza.
Some youngsters that impressed at the just-ended memorial tournament include green ball girls’ singles winner Princess Dube and the boys’ champion Larnel Sagiya.
The Under-14 boys’ category was won by Bryne Dube who beat Courage Ndlovu 2-6, 7-5, 6-2.
The girls’ final in the same division was between Tanaka Mhlanga and Zinhle Jiyane. Mhlanga won 5-7, 6-0, 6-2.
In the Under-18 girls, Tanyongana Tanatswa won the group and the runner-up was Rutendo Chirimumimba. The Under-18 boys category saw Thompson Tom beat Makanaka Hwata 3-6, 6-0, 6-1.
In 2010, Tennis Zimbabwe turned the Tarryn-Leigh De Souza Memorial tournament into a countrywide competition to be used for national player rankings.
The tournament is meant to celebrate the life of De Souza, one of the best players to come out of Bulawayo who died in 2009 due to heart failure.
Tarryn-Leigh represented Matabeleland and Zimbabwe in a number of tournaments at the age of 18 when she was ranked third in the country. She won a scholarship to play and study at Oklahoma Christian University in the United States in 2003 and at the time she was one of the top female players in the land. — @innocentskizoe
Online Reporter