Namibia tennis begins 2012 with an ace performance

THE Namibian Tennis Association (NTA) hosted 104 of Southern Africa’s best junior tennis players at the recent ITF/CAT Southern Africa Junior Championships.

Bob Mould, president of the NTA, said they were proud to have successfully hosted the tournament, which brings together the best young tennis players from 11 countries. Players from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe participated in the week-long competition. Twenty-one junior players from Namibia participated in the event, and while many showed promise and progress, Sedi Jacobs had the best results. At 14 years of age, Sedi played in the Under-16 category and placed second, losing to top-seeded Theresa van Zyl from South Africa in the finals.’There are tournaments being held in East, West and North Africa, as well as here in southern Africa, and the best results from each age group will quality for the Africa Championships which will be held later this year in Egypt,’ said Shepherd Manyumbo, the tournament referee from Zimbabwe. Given her results in the Southern African Championships, Sedi Jacobs will be invited to represent Namibia at the Africa Championships. ‘Our juniors need this type of exposure,’ Johan Theron, the tournament director, said. ‘Unless they play against the best of the best, they won’t improve, so hosting this tournament and being able to send our top players to events in other countries is very important for Namibian tennis.’At the prize giving ceremony, Mould congratulated the players and thanked the tournaments backers. He said without their support, the tournament would not have been possible. For the ITF/CAT Southern Africa Junior Championships, Shell Namibia donated N$50 000, while Pupkewitz Motors/Nissan, Coca Cola, Plascon Paints, Southern Cross Services, Plastic Warehouse and Klein Windhoek Guest House all made a vital contribution that made the event possible. ‘For tennis to grow in Namibia, we need corporate support,’ said Mould.’We look forward to a long relationships with these sponsors and with their support, we will continue to attract competitive events and encourage more Namibian juniors to start playing tennis.’

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