Doubles Champs at Central Tennis Club

This past weekend saw the playing of the doubles matches of the annual Central Tennis Club championships. Club members went up against each on Saturday, 7 November to claim the top spot.

Melissa Khupe and Bronwyn Kavarure won the women’s title after beating Ndeshi David and Meagan Lombardt 6-3, 6-4 in the final; Colin Nyandoro and Adriaan Coetzee beat Sam Kaulinge and Nqobilizwe Moyo senior 7-6, 7-6 in the men’s final; and Bob Mould and Augusto Cosulich beat Robert Riethmueller and Braam van Greunen, 6-3, 6-4 in the veteran mens’ section.

In the men’s first round, Kaulinge and Moyo overpowered Rahul Singh and Diken de Jongh 6-1, 6-1,while Minichel Malemu and Werner du Plessis beat Dirk Stein and Lawrence Kahindi 6-3, 6-4.

Risto Shikongo and Wellington Sibanda proceeded to the next round automatically as their opponents did not turn up.

Mkhululi Khupe and David Ipinge thrashe Richard Rothage and Phillip Schommarz, 6-0, 6-1, while Peter Brinkmann and Bas Rijnen also easily beat Luca Monteforte and Yed Malan by the same score.

Adriaan Coetzee and Colin Nyandoro defeated SP van Wyk and Adrian Cowan, while Kallie Heese and Roland van Greunen beat Jaco Steenkamp and Patrick Paulus, 6-3, 6-3. FNB Development Programme rising stars, Elias Shikongo and Ronaldo Uirab overpowered Kialo Kitheka and Massory Ickua, 6-0, 6-3.

In the second round, Kaulinge and Moyo proceeded to the semifinals after beating Malemu and Du Plessis, 6-2, 7-6. Shikongo and Sibanda won 6-3, 6-3 against Khupe and Ipinge. Coetzee and Nyandoro had an easy match against Brinkmann and Rijnen, while Heese and Van Greunen won 6-3, 6-2 against Shikongo and Uirab.

The semifinals saw Kaulinge and Moyo take the first spot in the finals after they beat Shikongo and Sibanda 6-3, 7-6 in a tough semifinal.

In the second semifinal, Coetzee and Nyandoro were pushed all the way before beating Heese and Van Greunen 2-6, 6-3, 12-10.

It all came down to the much anticipated final that saw Coetzee and Nyandoro claiming the overall victory in the men’s section against Kaulinge and Moyo.

“We started out a bit slow, but we gained momentum from the second set. Nyandoro and I had a good combination and we didn’t give up,” said Coetzee after the match.

“The matches were quite tough and if you look at the score you’ll see it was very close, but team work pushed us through in the end,” Nyandoro said.

The Veterans’ section was played on a round robin basis, with Leon Hemmes and Danai Maramba beating Ralph Hergott and Gospel Kavure 6-0, 6-1; but Mould and Cosulich then teamed up to beat Hemmes and Maramba, 6-2, 6-2.

Robert Riethmueller and Braam van Greunen beat Tom Hancock and Herman Beyer, 6-1, 6-0. The final saw Riethmueller and Van Greunen go up against the tough Mould and Cosulich, who retained their undefeated status, winning the match 6-3, 6-4.

In the Women’s section, which was also played on a round robin basis, Khupe and Kavarure had a walkover as Eldine van Wyk’s partner Lydia Kgobetsi did not show up. Lisa Yssel and Marisa Strauss won 6-0, 6-1 against Katherine Carter and Nicolene Labuschagne, while Sabine Hancock and Carola Beyer beat Emmanuel Haudebourg and Hileni Rijnen 6-0, 6-3.

Ndeshi David and Megan Lombardt were however too strong for Yssel and Strauss, while Khupe and Kavarure beat Hancock and Beyer. This saw David and Lombardt progress to the finals against Khupe and Kavarure, with the latter winning the title after a straight sets victory.

“I knew that Ndeshi was a better player than me, but I did not give up” said Kavarure.

“There was a point when I actually thought we would lose because our opponents were really catching up, but we didn’t give up and kept on fighting,” said Khupe.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.