Chronicle Editor
Simba Jemwa, Sports Correspondent
SHE says very little – ask her too many questions and she looks at her father as if asking to be rescued from the volley of questions.
But when it comes to tennis, she has powerful returns for the fiercest of serves.
Simphiwe Malunguza, a 12-year-old is now a veteran tennis “tourist” and is on a fast track to tennis fame.
Already recognised as one of Bulawayo’s brightest prospects, the young lass has already won a few local and international events.
Under the guidance of Thesley Mufunda and Nqobile Sithole at GAP Sports Academy, Simphiwe began her tennis journey at Dominican Convent when she was in Grade Five.
After barely a year, she was part of the team that won the Bulawayo girls tennis junior schools’ tournament.
Since then, the witty but soft-spoken Simphiwe has made winning her habit.
Unfortunately for the now vastly improved player, no school’s tournament was held in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
And for all her coyness at this young age, Simphiwe is still smart enough to recognise the key players during her rise.
“I am grateful to all the trainers who have helped me become the player that I am.
My coaches, Thesley Mufunda, Nqobile Sithole, Prince Ncube, Mkhululi George, Keletso and others have made me a better player.
I also owe my development to my fellow competitors who I train with at Bulawayo Athletic Club who include Felix Tazvimhaka and many others too many to mention,” says Simphiwe who models her game around champion Novak Djokovic.
Simphiwe is headed to Girls College next year for Form One after she recently wrote her Grade 7 examinations.
She is expected to become even a better player since Girls College has been at the forefront of tennis development for many years.
She was due to travel to Tunisia for the Africa Junior Championships which were scheduled for 6 to 13 December but the event was called off due to the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
In 2021 alone, Simphiwe has had a very successful year on the court.
She was a gold medalist at the Confederation of Africa Tennis (CAT) (Under-12) Junior Championship Southern Africa Regional Tourney, the Bulawayo Open/TGI (Under-14) and was a semi-finalist at the UTR Harare 2021 (Under-14).
She finished sixth and fifth, respectively at the Ann Martin Open and the Mantas Open (Under-14) that was held in Mutare from 18 to 23 December.
Where to now?
“School and more tennis.My parents are very strict about school and I am an A class student. After school, the plan is US College tennis and hopefully I can turn professional after that.”
What is your message to other young girls? “Choose your dream sport and pursue it, you never know where it will take you, but don’t forget to work hard at school.”
Online Reporter