Online Reporter
Nkosilathi Sibanda [email protected]
BULAWAYO will once again take centre stage in junior tennis development when the 2026 Emakhandeni Tennis Open serves off at Bulawayo Athletic Club (BAC) from Friday to Sunday.
The three-day tournament is expected to attract budding players from across the country providing them with an opportunity to sharpen their skills, gain valuable match experience and improve their competitive rankings.
The tournament will feature four development categories in the Red Ball, Orange Ball, Green Dot and Normal Ball formats, which are designed to introduce young players to the game using age and skill-appropriate equipment, court dimensions and scoring formats.
The Red Ball competition gets underway on Friday, while the Orange Ball, Green Dot and Normal Ball events will be played on Saturday and Sunday.
Tournament director Witness Jiyane said preparations are on course and they are setting pace for another successful edition of the event.
“We are looking forward to an exciting weekend of tennis. The Emakhandeni Tennis Open continues to provide an important competitive platform for junior players to test their abilities in a structured tournament environment. Match play is critical in a player’s development because it helps them apply the technical and tactical skills they learn during training,” said Jiyane.
He said the tournament was part of a long-term vision to strengthen local junior tennis pathway.
“Our objective is to expose young players to quality competition from an early age. Through regular tournaments, they develop consistency, court awareness, decision-making and the mental resilience needed to compete at higher levels. These are the building blocks for producing future national team players and international competitors,” he said.
Jiyane said the tournament would also provide coaches with an opportunity to assess the progress of their players under competitive conditions.
“Training sessions alone cannot fully measure a player’s development. Tournament play allows coaches to evaluate areas such as shot selection, movement, serving under pressure and overall match temperament. That is why these junior tournaments are so important.”
He encouraged parents to continue supporting their children by giving them opportunities to compete regularly.
“Every accomplished player starts somewhere. By investing in junior tennis today, we are laying the foundation for tomorrow’s champions. We have already seen several players who came through our development programmes go on to represent Zimbabwe internationally, and we believe many more will emerge.”
The Emakhandeni Tennis Open has grown into one of Bulawayo’s key junior tournaments, complementing the national development calendar by providing regular competition for emerging players as they progress through the Tennis Zimbabwe pathway.
This year’s tournament carries the theme “Play. Grow. Inspire”, reflecting its focus on participation, player development and inspiring the next generation of Zimbabwean tennis talent.
Vusumuzi Dube