27 Oct 2024

After failing to make it to the ITF World Tennis Tour J60 singles final, Botswana Tennis players will get a second bite at the cherry in the ITF World Tennis Tour J100, which starts today.

During the J60, which lasted a week in Gaborone, only the girl’s doubles, made up of Naledi Raguin and Chelsea Chakanyuka, made it to the final and won the championship.

Botswana Tennis Association vice president, Nonofo Othusitse told BOPA that overall, it was a good week.

“If you look at the boys, we had nine players in the main draw while the girls were six. That’s a total of 15 playing an international tennis tournament,” he said.

Ordinarily, he said if Botswana was not hosting, they would not be getting these numbers, and in terms of performance, they reached the semifinals in both the girls and boys singles events.

Othusitse said the cherry on top was the title win by Chelsea and Naledi, who won the girls doubles.

Talking about the J100, he said it was a tougher competition, but looking at the players’ J60 performances, they were expecting better performance.

In the J100, more than 30 players from all over the world are expected to descend in Gaborone to participate in the tournament.

Botswana will be represented by Mark Nawa, Ntungamili Raguin, Esi Molefe, Seabo Saleshando and Katlego Regoeng.

In the girls’ category, there is Naledi, Chelsea, Rethabile Moshaoa, Nina Sekonopo and Ditshegofatso Bapaletswe.

Chelsea was confident that she would do well in the J100 and said she was happy that she won the doubles and made it to the semi-finals in the singles.

“I have learnt a lot and I will take the lessons to the J100. Yes it is a tough competition but the most important thing is to focus,” she said.

Nawa who was a medal prospect in the J60 but was eliminated in the quarterfinals said he had also learnt a lot from the just ended tournament.

“I think this time around I will be in my element. I made some mistakes in the J60, and we learn from those mistakes,” he said. Ends