TENNIS TEENS DOMINATE THE OPEN
LABELLED the next generation, tennis teens, Denzel Seetso and Tshegofatso Tsiang, proved their time is now as they cruised to victory at the Botswana Open over the weekend.
Held in Gaborone between 17th - 20th July, the biggest tournament in local tennis attracted a limited line-up as Covid-19 restrictions prevented many players from travelling
The depleted field saw just six women fight it out in the ladies’ event.
Divided into two pools of three, with the top two from each group progressing to the semis, it was 19-year-old Tsiang who emerged the overall winner.
In an enthralling final in which the momentum swung one way and then the other, the big-serving teen outhit her opponent and good friend, Chelsea Chakanyuka 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
The result was all the more impressive considering Chakanyuka beat Tsiang when they met in the group stage earlier in the competition.
“I started the tournament really slowly, giving too much respect to Chelsea as she is a great friend of mine and lost to her. But I regained my focus and came back stronger to go all the way,” an animated Tsiang told Voice Sport.
The youngster hopes to use this experience as a stepping stone to much greater things.
“This is a major confidence boost going into other upcoming tourneys that are lined up for the remainder of the year. I want to do well as I aim to win a WTA sanctioned competition and maybe go on to win a Grand Slam one day,” gushed the tennis ace, who maintained that with hard work and focus, such lofty dreams are possible.
Tsiang’s Botswana Open triumph brings an emphatic end to a frustrating period for the talented teenager.
“Covid-19 has affected us all mentally; it has been a long time without action and that has frustrated a lot of us but we had to soldier on as the pandemic is beyond our control,” she concluded with a maturity that will serve her well in her career.
On the men’s side, 16-year-old sensation, Seetso, enjoyed a relatively straight forward route to the title.
Fresh from his Davis Cup exploits with the national team in Congo, Seetso was rarely troubled in the tournament, winning all five of his matches without dropping a set.
Seeded 8th going into the Open, Seetso’s dominance continued all the way to the final, where a one-sided encounter saw him defeat 3rd seed, Thato Holmes, 6-1, 6-2.
“Thato is a phenomenal player and defeating him at the final is a massive accomplishment. I will keep training hard so that I do well in all the upcoming tournaments,” promised the great hope of men’s tennis, who, after over a year out with injury, has marked his return to the game with an impressive run of results.