Zim junior players impress at ITF/CAT events

Sports Reporter

WITH local junior players recording some positive results on the ITF/CAT 14-and-Under events for the past weeks, junior tennis initiative and development officer Tennis Zimbabwe, Linsent Chitiyo says the performance has been encouraging.

Zimbabwe’s junior tennis players had a fruitful outing when they claimed the boys’ and girls’ doubles titles recently.

The pair of Manzungu Muchengeti and Noah Samushonga won the boys doubles title while Kuzivaishe Chapepa and Emily George won the girls section in the ITF/CAT 14-and-Under Leg 2 Kampala, Uganda.

They then moved to the Nairobi, Kenya for another event.

George partnered with Nancy Kawira of Kenya and reached the girls doubles-final and points were shared to the finalist due to rains.

Seline Ahoya and Akeelah Khanye made the semi-finals.

In the boys’ section Muchengeti Manzungu and Noah Samushonga were in the quarter-finals as well as the pair of Anotipa Chigudu and Finley Cox.

Chigudu also made boys quarter-finals while Khanye reached the girls singles quarter-finals.

The events are important for ranking points.

“So looking at the competences that our players are having and how they are competing in almost every competition, we are quite happy. And even the updated rankings that were done last week, you find that we now have five boys on the top 100 ranking.

“We also have seven girls on the top 100 of the girls’ rankings on the Confederation of African Tennis.

“We are excited with the progress that the players have done in Uganda and Kenya, and what’s more inspiring is the fact that we had our very own getting onto the podium,” said Chitiyo.