Zim tennis players in Botswana independence tourney

Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
NINE local tennis players are set to take part in a Botswana 50th Independence Day Tennis Tournament scheduled to start from Thursday and end on Sunday.

The country received an invitation through the Confederation of African Tennis, a sign the competition would be graced by players from all over the continent.

Bulawayo-based tennis coach, Adam Joelson said he has a strong team of juniors and seniors that would be heading for Gaborone. Botswana became independent from Britain on 30 September 1966.

Players that are making the trip to Gaborone include four-year-old Kuziva Chapeta who will play in the Under-10 (red ball), her sister, Convent pupil, Kudzai (7) has entered Under-10 (green ball) while Dabitso Ndlovu (7) is also playing in the same age category but in the orange ball section.

Centenary pupil, Onika Ndlovu (10) will feature in the Under-12 green ball, 15-year-old Zandile Mguni will be making a return to Botswana together with Girls College’s Kimberley Ndlovu (15) registering in the Under-18 section while William Ncube (18) will feature in the male section of the same age group.

Nigel Ncube (20) and Friedlander Kadzombe (20) will be playing in the Under- 21s.

Joelson said the players will be aiming at experiencing the sport in a different environment and against new opposition.

“It is a CAT approved tournament hence we believe there could be a huge number of players from other countries. It presents a great opportunity for the players to come up against great opposition and also play against a new set of opponents.

“Another plus with Botswana tournaments is they allow players to feature in two different age groups and this gives them good practice against older opponents,” he said.

Joelson said Mguni and Kimberley were in Botswana in July and the former lost in the quarter-finals in the Under-16’s and semi’s in the Under-18s while the latter exited in semi finals for both the under 16s and Under-18s.

Prizes for seniors have been set at $800 for the winner in the men’s category while the losing finalist will take home $540 with the semi-finalists getting $200 each. In the women’s section the winner will walk away with $600, with the runner-up taking home $350 and the semi-finalists will bag $150 each.