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Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
WINNERS of the Emakhandeni Tennis Open will this year walk away with trophies and medals following the coming on board of local cement manufacturing company, Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) as one of the sponsors.
The third edition of the revived tournament is scheduled for this weekend beginning on Friday and ending on Sunday.
Emakhandeni Tennis Club chairman, Witness Jiyane said winners of the Under-18 section in the boys and girls categories will this year be awarded trophies that have been sponsored by PPC. He said they also received 36 medals from the company which will be awarded to winners in all the age categories.
“The trophies will certainly be an incentive for the players to take part in the competition and also do their best as they would want to put it in their cabinets. We are looking to a field of over 80 players to enter the contest and registration is starting tomorrow,” he said.
Jiyane said they also managed to retain Lions Club of Khumalo as their sponsors together with Spain-based Tennis Aid, which donated some tennis apparel that would be dished out to winners. He said NTD Global has also come on board together with Universal Tennis Academy and Maracomms Global.
Some of the players expected to take part in the tournament include Emakhandeni-based Zamani Moyo and Felix Tazviringa in the Under-18 boys’ section while Zandile Mguni and Charmaine Moyo will be among those battling in the girls’ category.
Five-year-old Sibusiso Dube is also expected to make a return to the courts after clinching a silver medal in the Under-10s at the Tomasick Foundation tournament that was held at Emakhandeni last month.
Mthandazo Dube (7) who won in the Tomasick Under-10s is also likely to make it at the tournament along with Isaac Moyo.
Jiyane said they are happy the tournament is being done following repairs were done to the courts after eight poles had been stolen making it difficult to hold a tournament of this magnitude.
“We are grateful to our Member of Parliament, Dingilizwe Tshuma who sourced material and paid for the repairs to be done at the courts, we now don’t have to worry about losing balls. They are now in a better condition and appealing to more tennis players,” he said.
Online Reporter