Smashing success for junior tennis Youngsters get more exposure The Namibian Tennis Association held another development tournament over the weekend. The Namibian Tennis Association (NTA) junior tournament sponsored by Sanlam was held at the Central Tennis Courts in Olympia from Friday 14 to Saturday, 15 October. The weekend''s tournament was only for the Under-12 and U-14 age groups because the other age groups had their competition played out two weeks ago.
Playing the Sanlam tournament was important to all aspiring junior players since it was the last opportunity to win qualifying points for this year''s national ranking.
The best eight qualified juniors in all age groups will be invited to play the national youth championship on 28 October at the Trustco Junior Masters, the most important national tournament on the NTA Junior calendar.
Luca Monteforte showed that he is a strong contender to end the year as the number one player in the U-14 age group.
He dominated his group by winning all his matches.
The runner up in the group was Diken de Jongh, a player of the FNB Development programme.
Other upsets saw 11 year-old Elze Stears ending second in the U-14 group.
Lisa Yssel was a class above the rest of her competition in the U-14 group where she won all her matches without losing a set.
In U-12 Boys group Carlos Uirab caused an upset by beating Albertus Brinkmann 6-2, 6-2.
When asked how he managed to dethrone the number one ranked player, Uirab replied: “I used angled shots to make my opponent move and I played drop shots to bring him to the net. This way I was able to pass him”.
During the prize giving ceremony, the representative of Sanlam, Annemarie Saunders, commented that small players should have big dreams and one day present Namibia at international tournaments.
“We from Sanlam are proud to contribute to the future of Namibian tennis,” she said.
NTA president Sam Kaulinge handed over medals to all winners.
He thanked all parents and players who had joined the tournament singling out especially the players who had come all the way from Outjo.
The next event will be the Trustco Junior Masters on 28 October.
Results
Under-12 girls singles
Winner: Elze Stears
Under-12 boys singles
Winner: Carlos Uirab
Runner up: Albertus Brinkmann
Under-12 boys doubles
Winner: Carlos Uirab and Albertus Brinkmann
Runner up: Brandon Stevenson and Louis Minnaar
Under-14 girls singles
Winner: Lisa Yssel
Runner up: Elze Stears
Under-14 girls doubles
Winner: Lisa Yssel and Elze Stears
Runner up: Eldine Van Wyk and Tinashe Mukumba
Under-14 boys singles
Winner: Luca Monteforte
Runner up: Diken de Jongh
Under-14 boys doubles
Winner: Johannes Swartz and Luca Monteforte
Runner up: Diken De Jongh and Daniel Kienitz
KALLIE HEESE