Chronicle Editor
Brandon Moyo
ASPIRING tennis ace Tanyaradzwa Midzi and her Kenyan partner Melissa Mwakha booked a place in the girls’ doubles final of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Under-18 South Central being played at the Bulawayo Country Club.
Midzi and Mwakha beat Zimbabwe pair of Simphiwe Malunguza and Tendai Makunike 6-3 and 6-1 to set a date in the final against Zimbabwe’s Julie Tungamirai and Emilia Julin from Britain. Julin and Tugamirai won their semi-finals game 6-2 and 6-4.
The final will be played this morning.
The boys’ doubles final will see Zimbabwe’s pair of Mengezi Sibanda and Ronan Mtisi playing for gold against Madagascar’s Hasina Ranaivo and South Africa’s Reuben De Klerk.
De Klerk and Ranaivo beat Clandestine Ndiringepi and Makanaka Whata 6-3 and 7-6.
In the boys’ quarter-finals played yesterday, Mtisi put up a brilliant performance to beat Sofyan Elnaqa from Egypt with set scores of 6-4 and 6-1 to set up a semi-final date against De Klerk. The South African teenager made light work of Hollingsworth 6-1, 6-4.
Sibanda beat Ranaivo 6-3 and 6-0 to book a last-four slot against fellow Zimbabwean Thompson Thomu who edged Ndiringepi with scores of 6-4 and 6-1.
The girls’ quarter-finals saw Midzi recording a 6-2, 6-3 win over Monique Wigoda from Israel while Zimbabwe’s Zahara El-Zein won her game against country mate Tanaka Garikai with scores of 7-0 and 6-0. El-Zein will face Elena Michel from France while Midzi will be up against Mwakha.
Michel secured passage to the semi-finals after beating Zimbabwe’s Chanelle Zhuwakini 6-2, 6-1 while Mwakha knocked out Tungamirai 6-2, 6-2. – @brandon_malvin.
Online Reporter