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SOUTH Africa-based Zimbabwean junior tennis sensation, Sasha Chimedza, has clinched her maiden singles title on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors.
She won the girls’ singles competition at the J4 Harare 2021 Tennis Tournament, which ended at Harare Sports Club, on Saturday.
The 14-year-old rising starlet defeated South Africa’s Marilouise Van Zyl 6-4, 6-2 in the girls singles final to cap off a successful week on home soil.
Chimedza, who was seeded second in the tournament, lived up to her billing, as she played some wonderful tennis, in the high-profile tournament, which featured budding tennis players from around the world. In addition to Zimbabwe, some of the countries who were represented in the girl’s singles’ main draw include South Africa, France, Romania Great Britain, Belgium and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The win in the girls’ singles capped off a remarkable week for Chimedza, who also reached the final of the doubles competition, with her partner Tadiwanashe Mauchi. The all-Zimbabwean pair came agonisingly close to completing a home sweep, of both the singles and doubles title, as they came from a set down to force a tiebreaker.
In the end, they lost 7-6, 6-4 (10-2) to the pair of Belgium’s Sara Pantelic and Arina Valitova from Saint Kitts and Nevis.
It was a remarkable week for Chimedza, who has been turning heads in junior competition on the ITF World Tennis Tour Juniors this year.
Three months ago, Chimedza also won back-to-back doubles titles in the J4 AND J5 tournaments in Accra, Ghana.
Chimedza is a product of the world-renowned Anthony Harris Tennis Academy, which is based in Cape Town, South Africa. — Zim Sport Live
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter