09 Jan 2014

There is hope that Botswana will finish in the top eight to qualify for the next stage, despite having started on a low note at the ongoing Southern African Junior Tennis Championships.

Botswana registered a few victories on January 8 when the tournament started at Notwane Tennis Courts in Gaborone with locals facing tough opponents which eventually saw the team losing eight matches.

Under 14 girl, Reneilwe Selema won her match 6-3, 6-0 against Swaziland’s Tanzile Dlamini on Wednesday but lost to Madagascra’s Scariaka Radilofe in the quartefinals Thursday.

Another U-14, Thato Holmes won 6-1,6-1 against Bruno Nhazan of Mozambique while U-12 girl, Thato Madikwe beat Swaziland’s Nonhle Nkhonta 6-0, 6-2. In the U-14 boys doubles, Thabang Poley and Kaone Motlhabani thrashed Swaziland’s duo of Leon Manyisa and Thubenhle Maziya 6-0, 6-0.

The championship is divided into three categories; Under 12, Under 14 and Under 16 boys and girls from 11 countries in the region. Tournament director, Boikobo Gaolebalwe admitted that the local team did not start well as they were drawn against top rated and experienced players in the region.

However, he said there was still hope for the local team, especially in the Under 12 team where he said there was more potential. Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing tournament, he said the attendance was good with over 100 athletes taking part in the competition.

Gaolebalwe said the top eight players from the zone will be selected to partake in the next stage where they would lock horns with other players from four other zones of the African continent.

“Our best players will compete in the African Junior Tennis Championships in Nairobi in March which we hope some of the local players will qualify for,” he noted.

He mentioned that the local team was engaged in a training camp in December to prepare for this tournament, and that the athletes came early from the festive season to sharpen up their skills.

He said it was challenging to prepare for this tournament in that it comes immediately after the festive season. However, they encourage players to engage in some form of training during the holidays so as to keep fit.

The director indicated that the tournament is a good platform to prepare the Under 16 for the upcoming African Youth Games which will be hosted by Botswana. He expressed satisfaction at the level of competition from the players and applauded the coaches for their work.The tournament comes to an end on January 11. ENDS