21 Jul 2021

Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) successfully hosted the self-sponsored 2021 Open Championships from July 17 to 20 in Gaborone. 

The tournament was categorised into men and women’s singles, as well as doubles and men veterans’ singles and doubles. 

In an interview after the event, BTA president, Oaitse Thipe, said they were happy with the number of players who participated. However, he decried the absence of players from outside the country, which he said lowered the standard of competition. 

He said the number of participants showed that their development programmes were bearing fruit. 

Particularly impressive was the fact that the men’s singles champion was a 16-year-old. 

Thipe acknowledged that the lack of game time and competition negatively impacted the players’ performance. He noted, however, that overseas-based players fared better, because they had game time. He appealed businesses to support the association, adding ‘we wish to host a number of tournaments around the country to give players game time, but we need financial assistance to do so, that is how the sport can grow’. 

Thipe urged Batswana to send their children for tennis programmes, adding sport could bring opportunities, such as scholarships, citing a number of players who were sponsored to pursue their studies overseas. 

He also regretted the low number of female participants, noting that out of the 48 players, who participated in the tournament, only six were women. 

In the men’s singles category, 16-year-old Denzel Seetso, who was playing Senior Open Tennis Championships for the first time, emerged victorious, winning 6-1, 6-2 against Thato Holmes, who plays college tennis in the USA. Seetso walked away with a trophy and P4 500 while Holmes won P2 500 and a trophy as a runner-up. 

Lefa Sibanda and Tsholofelo Tsiang ended in the semifinals, each winning P1 500, while the quarterfinalists, Loago Sibanda, Motsumi Marobela, Best Ndebele and Tshepo Mosarwa, each went home with P750. 

Ndebele and Holmes emerged victorious in the men’s doubles, winning the match 6-3, 3-6, and 10-5, against Tsiang and Mosarwa and walked away with trophies and P2 000, while the finalists won P1 500 and trophies and semifinalists, Kao Lenkopane and Aobakwe Lekang won P1 000. 

Tshegofatso Tsiang successfully defended her championship in the women’s singles section, winning the match by 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 against Chelsea Chakanyuka. She went home with P4 500 and a trophy, while Chakanyuka won P2 500 and a trophy. Semifinalists, Phatsimo Ruele and Leungo Monnayoo won P1 500 each and quarterfinalists, Thato Madikwe and Anele Maplanka walked away with P750 each. 

In the women’s doubles Chakanyuka and Monnayoo emerged victorious, against Tshegofatso and Ruele, walking away with trophies and P2000, while Tshegofatso and Ruele won P1 500 and semifinalists, Madikwe and Maplanka won P1000.  In the men’s singles veterans’ category, Freedom Tapera won 6-0, 6-1 against Roy Nyathi, winning P1500, while Nyathi walked away with P1 000. 

Winners of men veterans’ doubles, Chester Ncube and Nyathi took home P1 500. Seetso, who is also in the national team that recently represented the country in the Davis Cup in Congo, said he was happy with his performance, adding that his level of play kept on improving with each tournament. “I am very happy, I play well against good opponents,” he said. 

He said being part of the team that played at the Davis Cup also assisted him in improving his game, as he had to face tough opponents. “I also learnt a lot from coach Molefe, who led the team to Congo,” he said. He indicated that apart from putting a lot of hours into training, his other secrets were eating well, getting enough rest and always being psychologically fit. 

“I train twice a day, in the morning and in the afternoon,” he said. The winner in the women singles, Tshegofatso, who revealed that she normally trained for two hours in the morning and afternoon, said she was honoured to have won the tournament 

She said her twin-brother and best friend Tsholofelo, motivated her to work very hard, adding that being mentally strong also contributed to her success. 

She urged upcoming players to work hard, as tennis was one of the hardest sports being regarded as number 7 in the world. Tshegofatso’s wish is to play the sport overseas, where there are a lot of opportunities for growth “I would like to come back home with the US Open trophy,” she said. ends