20 Apr 2022

The national tennis junior team performed well at the 2022 ITF/CAT Southern African Junior teams’ competition in Mozambique over the Easter Holidays.

The Under 12 girls team made up of Samantha Chivazve, Nelisiwe Tsima and Angela Sefawe  was under the guidance of coach Gaone Modisane.

The boys team led by coach Dimpho Legoreng included Martin Seetso, Tinashe Phatshwane and Marcus Semane.

Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) president, Oaitse Thipe said in an interview that the girls’ team finished in position three while the boys’ position was still to be determined by the Confederation of African Tennis (CAT) since the games were stopped due to rain.

A communication from BTA highlightes that when a decision to abandon play between Namibia and Mozambique was made, Botswana was leading the group following three wins against eSwatini, Mozambique and Zimbabwe and a loss to Namibia.

It further indicated that a win for Namibia against Mozambique would place Botswana in position two, while a Mozambique win would put Botswana in position one.

BTA president said the boys’ team had qualified for the Africa Junior championships since they were going to end up in position one or two.

“Only position one or two qualifies for the continental event,” he added.

Thipe said even though the girls failed to qualify, the association was impressed by their performance.

He said there was a lot of talent in the country and therefore urged parents to enrol their children in organised tennis programmes where there were certified coaches.

He further explained that in the next few years, tennis would create employment, through coaching, playing as well as hosting major international tournaments, hence his plea to the parents.

“Most of local players will be playing at international competitions such as Junior Wimbledon and US Open,” he said. Five countries took part in the competition, namely Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Zimbabwe and the host Mozambique. ENDS