Saurombe New Winners champ

Sports Club.
Saurombe dismissed Makambwa in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 in an exciting match to walk away with the title.

The top seed was satisfied with his level of play as he said he is looking forward to finishing on a high, as this is his last year in the juniors

“I played well today but Makambwa was quite solid, he is a tough player and has improved a lot.
“I tried to control the points and didn’t want to lose the game. I am happy with the way I am playing.

“This year the tournament was a little bit different, some of the big guys that played last year are done, they are now 19 and I am the only one left. However, there are some good upcoming players.
“This is my last year in the juniors, so I am going to try to dominate as much as I can,” said Saurombe.

The 17-yeay-old said the tournament was an opportunity for him to assess his game as he prepares for upcoming international tournaments.

“We have the African Junior Championships for the Under-18 in February in South Africa so this is my first tournament and I have learnt a lot from the mistakes I was making and I am going to try and improve on them.

“I used it as a base to bring up my game and get ready for the big events. There are two ITF tournaments and I am going to try and play one of those so that maybe I can get some more points,” said Saurombe.

The girls title went to Latifah Yasini who beat Zahra Finnigan 6-2, 6-1 in a one sided affair.
There were only four players in the girls category and Yasini said the competition was not that high due to the low turnout.

“The level of competition was a bit low because a lot of players did not come. There were only four girls but I think I have improved on my game.

“I used to struggle with my backhand but now everything is just flowing and I think it’s not about how hard you try but how much knowledge you apply,” said Yasini.

The 15-year-old said the victory in the New Winners has boosted her confidence as she prepares for international tournaments.

“Last year I won the Under-16 title but I decided to move to the Under-18 for more competition. I could have played in the Under-16 because I am 15.

“I might be going to East Africa on January 27 and this has boosted my confidence. I feel I am ready for tournaments in Kenya,” said Yasini.

In the Under-16 boys the title went to Keith Wakatama who beat Mark Chigaazira 6-2, 5-7, 6-0 and Tanaka Chakanyuka was the winner in the girls’ category as she defeated Munashe Kaome 6-1, 6-1.

Jason Chigaazira won the boys Under-14 by default after his opponent, Dennis Moses failed to turn up for the match. Moses was leading 6-4, 4-2 but did not turn up to finish the match yesterday.

Beverly Matsiwe clinched the girls’ title after winning all her five matches, which were being played in a round robin. Tatenda Mutetwa won the boys Under-12 category when he overcame Ethan Sibanda 6-2, 6-1 and Chido Chimbetete beat Nandi Munyulwa 6-4, 7-5 to claim the girls’ title.

The tournament also featured the Under-10s in an effort by Tennis Zimbabwe to create a broad base for junior development.