20 Jul 2016

Phenyo Matong overcame inconsistent first set display to beat Edgar Kazembe 6-3, 6-0 in the men’s singles final on July 19 and won the Botswana Open Tennis Championships for the third successive time.

Matong survived two breakpoints to hold serve in his first two service games and produced an early break of serve to take firm control.

But the Botswana number one failed to build onto that 3-0 lead and produced too many unforced errors instead which allowed Kazembe time to recover from his mistakes.  

Kazembe, who hit the ball with ferocious power in a bid to dismantle Matong’s defensive play, won the next three games to level matters.   

However, Matong pulled himself out of the hole by winning the next game. A Kazembe double fault gifted the defending champion a break he craved for a 5-3 lead. Matong closed the set 6-3 by holding serve despite conceding the first three points of the ninth game. The two time defending champion then got his service game right in the second set and easily dispensed the Zambian 6-0 to lift the Botswana Open trophy for the third time in a row.

“I was not sure how I was going to feel because we had been playing in the Davis Cup in Madagascar the whole of last week. To spend two weeks playing matches was tough but I am happy I managed to retain the cup,” Matong said about his latest triumph, which guaranteed him a P10 000 first prize and a gold medal.

He won the competition in 2013 and 2014. The tournament was not held last year.

Matong won the tournament without dropping a singles set. He beat Raymond Jasi 6-0, 6-2 in round two, Bruce Gama 6-1, 6-0 in the quarterfinals, and Shingirai Muzondiwa 6-2, 6-4 in the semi-finals. Michael Gutu retired in round three with Matong having won the first set 6-0.

Kazembe got a silver medal and P6 000, while semi-finalists Muzondiwa and Liberty Nzula got P4 000.The ladies singles title was won by Vanya Klaric who beat Tanaka Chakanyuka in the final. She received P6 000, while Tanaka got P3 000.

Matong and Lefa Sibanda won the men’s doubles while Vanya and Tanaka won the ladies doubles. 

The championships, sponsored by Motor Centre Botswana to the tune of P178 850, attracted approximately 140 tennis players from Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, and Angola. ENDS