Impressive display at Zimbabwe Open Squash tourney

THE Squash Rackets Association of Zimbabwe (SRAZ) chairperson, Lucky Mlilo was impressed with the way things unfolded during the 2023 Zimbabwe Open Squash Championship which was held in Bulawayo over the past weekend.

The three-day competition started last Friday and ended on Sunday.

It was a contest that featured local and international players.

Mlilo was charmed by the way all the players gave their all, adding that the prize made it even more momentous.

“The quality of squash displayed by the players was high and I was impressed. The tournament went on very well and the prizes were excellent. The donation of an air ticket by Ethiopian Airlines to the best player in the tournament was an icing on the cake and the first of its kind in Zimbabwe,” said Mlilo.

Apart from the high-quality play that the players displayed in the courts, the tournament was made more special by the City Sports Economy initiative which is a partnership between SRAZ and the Bulawayo City Council (BCC).

Mlilo said the partnership will go a long way in the growth of the sport in the city and country at large. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between SRAZ and BCC prior to the commencement of matches.

Zimbabwe was well represented by youngsters in the tournament, something which Mlilo, who also played in the veterans’ category, believes was a good foundation. The tournament was also a good preparation for Zimbabwe junior team players who are set to go to Egypt for the Egyptian Juniors championship.

“The young players performed very well. A lot of juniors who represented the country last month in the South Africa Schools Interprovincial tournament and World Juniors Squash Championships in Melbourne Australia, participated in the Zimbabwe Open and fared well. It was encouraging to see 12-year-old Sydney Constantino and his mother Grace Chakabva playing in this tournament.

“The Raynars family of father and three sons also participated. Some of the juniors will be off to Cairo, Egypt at the end of this month to participate in the Egyptian Juniors tournament. Junior development is the foundation of the growth of squash,” he said.

Zambian internationals went on to dominate the proceedings. From the four categories which were competed for, three were won by Zambian internationals as they showed dominance on the court throughout the duration of the event.

The three categories that were won by the visiting Zambian players, who over the past have been competing in the Zimbabwe Open, were the men’s event, doubles event and the veterans’ section.

The women’s section top gong was won by a Zimbabwean, Polite Mubure.

Mubure recorded a 3-2 final win against Leungo Katse, while Zambia’s Kalengo edged Zimbabwe’s high-flying Ryan Gwidzima 3-0 in the men’s final.

Zambian Ken Mwape won the veterans’ event after a convincing 3-1 victory over his fellow countryman Paul Chanda.

The doubles final saw the Zambian duo of Kundanji Kalengo and Lukumba Muchimba totally outclass Zimbabwe’s pair of Malvin Mubure and Roy Jambo.

The Zambians won the encounter 3-0 to claim the top honours.

However, some international players could not attend the tournament due to other commitments.

“We have always welcomed the participation of Zambian veterans. It has always added flavour to the tournament. We were unfortunate that the tournament coincided with the Botswana Business League and South Africa Growthpoint National tournament and as a result, some players failed to come to Zimbabwe,” said Mlilo.

The Zimbabwe Open is one of the major highlights on the SRAZ calendar and this year’s event, like the previous ones, lived to its billing. — @brandon_malvin