daniel chigunwe
Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S Tanyaradzwa Midzi and Sasha Chimedza sailed through to the girls singles quarter-finals of the Cranrid International Tennis Federation World Junior Tour.
They won their round of 16 matches at Harare Sports Club yesterday.
Midzi upset fourth seed Arina Valitova 6-3, 7-5.
Midzi plays seventh seed Sara Pantelic from Belgium, who overpowered India’s Chahana Budhbhatti, and will be out for a win today.
“Seeding is just a number so you just play because you never know and just because they have a higher ranking doesn’t necessarily mean they are better than you,’’ said the 15-year-old Midzi.
“I have the confidence that I can do it.
“I have been getting good match experience so I will be able to put into play what I have learnt from the previous weeks.’’
Chimedza, seeded sixth, also gave a good account of herself when she dismissed Kupakwashe Kanyore 6-0, 6-2.
She is up against top seed Meshkatolzahra Safi of Iran, in today’s quarter-final.
They met in the semi-finals last week and Chimedza lost. In the boys singles, Ethan Sibanda and Benedict Badza, fell on the wayside. Sibanda went down to eighth seed Aayush Bhat, of the United States, 1-6, 2-6.
Badza was beaten 2-6, 5-7, by Lucas Phanthala of France.
Local players also found the going tough in the doubles with the pair of Takura Mhwandagara and Shane Tapera losing 3-6, 1-6 to Muni Ananth and Lucas Phanthala, in the boys quarter-finals.
It was the same story for Badza and his South African partner Joseph Townes who lost Bhat and Aman Dahiya 2-6, 7-5, 4-10.
Lyle Zaloumis had partnered eSwatini’s Hayden Loffler and they lost to Anro Nel and Andreas Scott 2-6, 1-6.
Chimedza and Valitova won 6-3, 6-2 against Yenzokuhle Dladla and Sophia Fuller to advance to the semi-finals.
The doubles semi-finals are on today while the finals are set for tomorrow.
The singles semi-finals are on tomorrow, followed by the finals on Saturday.
This is the last event of three junior tournaments which have been running at Harare Sports Club.
Online Reporter