03 Dec 2015

Phenyo Matong and Tanaka Chakanyuka are champions of 2015 Botswana closed tennis tournament held at Notwane Tennis courts in Gaborone.

Matong beat Shingirai Muzondiwa in the senior men finals, scoring 6-2, 6-4 and pocketing P2 000. Chakanyuka battled it out in a closely contested match with Phatsimo Ruele, beating him by 6-3 and 6-4. She won herself P1 400.

In the doubles, Ruele and Chakanyuka teamed up and faced Thato Madikwe and Olebogeng Manopolo. A deadly combination comprising of a first and second Botswana ranking players, Ruele and Chakanyuka dismantled what was brought out by their opponents, as they sailed through with a convincing score of 6-0 and 6-0. 

In an interview, Chakanyuka expressed delight at her good performance as she emerged victorious. “I must say I am very worried about the performance level displayed by my competitors, because honestly I must say they did not give me that much of a competition,” she said.

She said she spends most of her time in tennis courts training. However, she acknowledged her partner as a good athlete, saying she gave her a good match in the finals.

She also gave a note of encouragement to her mates to train hard and improve their tactical approach. 

She also commended Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) for organising the tournament as it affords them an opportunity to sharpen their skills.

She raised  concern that tennis has less activities in its calendar something she said disadvantages the athletes. 

Her dream, she added, is to become a professional player, adding that the dream is not farfetched as she has just secured herself a scholarship in Louisiana, USA.

Ruele also shared sentiments echoed by Chakanyuka regarding the level of competition of the tournament. A few number of girls, she said participated and already she knew how she was going to fair in the tournament.

Ruele credited her opponent stating that Chakanyuka’s performance has since shown improvement.

“She is quite a good hammer; she hammers everything that comes her way. 

From my side my tactics are equally the same but I am not a very good defender, so it is really a challenge to play with someone who plays your game,” she explained.The 20-year-old noted that her dream is to secure a tennis college scholarship.

 The senior men champion, 30-year-old Matong also thanked BTA for putting up such a tournament and also shared other players’ sentiments about the low level of competition.

About his opponents, he said, “Most of these guys were on their debuts hence I won easily. I should also point out that there is talent in our country.” Ends