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Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
YOUNG tennis star Takudzwa Mawisire continues to outline her status as the next best junior player to emerge from Bulawayo after she made a clean sweep of three Under-18 girls’ titles in recent weeks.
Takudzwa bagged the Bulawayo Juniors Open, Tarryn-Leigh DeSouza Memorial and Midlands Open tournaments. The three juniors’ events were played over the last two weeks with the Bulawayo Open and Tarry-Leigh Memorial being staged in Bulawayo, while the Midlands Open was held in Gweru.
The 14-year-old Takudzwa appears to be living true to her words after vowing in 2014 that she wanted to surpass the achievements of her sisters Fadzai (28), Vimbai (27) and Tafadzwa (31), who all excelled in the sport.
The rising star saw off Nicole Chigwada 6-2, 6-3 in the Bulawayo Open final on 3 April before dispatching Thabisile Dube in the Tarryn-Leigh tourney on 6 April and she won the Midlands Open last Monday.
However, her coach and father Zeb Mawisire feels the real test will come in August when she takes part in the Zimbabwe Closed Championships which will attract players from all over the country.
“Yes, she has performed pretty well this year and managed to outplay most of the girls in Bulawayo. I feel the quality of play hasn’t been so high from the other players, they haven’t been able to match up to her standard,’’ said Zeb, who is also the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Tennis Board chairman.
“I think the real test comes in August at the Zim Closed when she faces players from other provinces, it will give us a clear idea where she stands nationally.”
At Takudzwa’s age, Fadzai and Vimbai were Zimbabwe Number One and Number Two respectively and while rankings for this year are yet to be released, the Zimbabwe Open result will be crucial in determining the “top dog”.
Zeb, a respected coach in the country believes Takudzwa has the talent and skill to scale greater heights in the sport and achieve more than her sisters.
The Maranatha High School student’s win at the Tarryn-Leigh Memorial was the third in a row.
Meanwhile, the De Souza family has committed itself to continue funding the tourney which is held in honour of their daughter who represented the region and country in several tennis tournaments.
Tarryn-Leigh passed away in 2009 aged 24 years and her parents, Alison and Beverly decided to fund the tourney in her memory from 2010. Alison said they will continue supporting the tournament as they believe it will have a positive impact on the growth of the sport.
“We applaud officials who go the extra mile in ensuring that aspiring players obtain the best under trying times. While parents are responsible for these young players, society in general should ensure that the future generations occupy their time positively through sporting activities. Health and mental stability is partially dependant on sport,’’ said Alison.
“The Tarryn-Leigh Memorial is in memory of an individual whose talent inspired others to aspire to greater heights through sport,” he added.
Tarry-Leigh, who was also a hockey player, started her tennis at Whitestone Primary School before continuing with her exploits at Girls College where she honed her talent and went on to represent the country in South Africa and also participated in tournaments in Botswana and Mozambique. She won a scholarship at Oklahoma Christian University where she attained a BA in sports administration and coaching.
Tarryn-Leigh De Souza Memorial tournament director, Petros Ndlovu said he was happy with the talent exhibited at the tourney adding they managed to attract 120 players, including several new entrants from schools in the high density suburbs.
Other players who excelled during the Bulawayo tournaments include Hillary Ncube, in the boys’ Under-18 section, who took the Bulawayo Open crown when overcoming Heyley Masara 6-4, 7-6 (10-4), but lost the Tarryn-Leigh final to Tanaka Chabata, 6-2, 6-3. In the Under-14 boys promising prospect Ethan Sibanda clinched two singles titles when he beat Joshua Evans 6-3, 6-1in the Bulawayo Open before making light work of Bukhosi Moyo 6-1, 6-0 in the De Souza Memorial. Chloe Ruvire, Lyle Zalomis and Nicole Matukutire also emerged victorious in both tournaments in the Under-14 girls, Under-12 boys and Under-12 girls respectively.
Online Reporter