LINIQUES Theron of Namibia beat Huibre Mare Botes of South Africa 6-2, 6-4 to win the women’s U/18 singles title at the ITF South and Central African Junior Championships in Windhoek on Friday.
The second-seeded Namibian was just too consistent, as she wore her opponent down with her accurate serve and strong groundstrokes, as she secured a comfortable victory. It was the 17-year-old Theron’s first title on the ITF Africa Junior circuit and capped a fine week during which she also bet the fifth-seeded Louise Mare Botes and the seventh-seeded Georgina Axon on her way to the final. Namibia’s top-seeded woman, Sedi Jacobs had to withdraw from the tournament after injuring her back ahead of her semifinal match against Huibre Mare Botes. It was a disappointing end for Jacobs, who had comfortably beaten the sixth-seeded Louise Ronaldson of Great Britain 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. The men’s U/18 singles title was won by Lloyd Harris of South Africa who thrashed Sam Rice of Great Britain 6-0, 6-0 in the final. Harris dominated from the start with his powerful serve and all round play as he mixed strong groundstrokes from the baseline with an effective serve and volley game. It was also Harris’s first victory on the ITF Africa Junior circuit. Harris also featured in the men’s U/18 doubles final with his partner Joshua Luck, but they lost 6-2, 6-0 to the top-seeded South African twins Okkie and Francois Kellerman.In the women’s U/18 doubles final, the fourth-seeded British pair of Georgina Axon and Louise Ronaldson beat the second seeded South African twins Huibre Mare and Louise Mare Botes 6-2, 4-6, 10-7.qqqqqq
