Uqophe umlando kwitennis ohamba ngesihlalo samasondo
NGESIKHATHI iningi labalandeli bezemidlalo eNingizimu Afrika lithatheke ngezimanga ebizigilwa nguKevin Anderson noRaven Klaasen kwiWimbledon eLondon abafinyelele kowamanqamu kwabadlala ngabodwana nabadlala nophathina ngokwehlukana, intokazi yaseLimpopo, uKgothatso Montjane, iqophe umlando emqhudelwaneni we-tennis.
UMontjane (32) ube ngowokuqala umdlali wesifazane omnyama waseNingizimu Afrika osebenzisa isihlalo esinamasondo ukufinyelela kowandulela owamanqamu walo mqhudelwano.
Iphupho lakhe lokungena kowamanqamu liphazanyiswe nguDiede de Groot waseNetherlands okleliswe endaweni yokuqala emhlabeni. Umhlule ngo 1-6; 5-7 e-All England Club ngempelasonto.
“Angidlalanga kahle kwiset yokuqala ngenxa yovalo kodwa ngiwubambile umgqigqo kweyesibili. Ngizohlale ngiwukhumbula lo mzuzu. Bengiqala ukudlala enkundleni yotshani futhi ngidlala kowandulela owamanqamu we-Grand Slam. Ngiyaziqhenya futhi ngijabule kakhulu,” kusho uMontjane esitatimendeni esithunyelwe yi-Wheelchair Tennis South Africa.
UMontjane, obesanda kuvikela ngempulelo isicoco sakhe se-Swiss Open, ubefinyelele kowandulela owamanqamu ngemuva kokwehlula uKatharina Kguger waseGermany.
Ekhasini lakhe ku-twitter ku-@ Montjane_K ubonge ukwesekwa akutholile. “Kube wuhambo olumangalisayo ukufinyelela kowamandulela owamanqamu okokuqala kwiGrand Slam. Ngiyabonga kakhulu ngothando nokungeseka eninginike kona, kuyamangalisa.”
U-Anderson, ozalwa eNingizimu Afrika kodwa osezinze e-USA, ususe isasasa nokunakwa ngabaningi ezinkundleni zokuxhumana ngesikhathi ehlula uRoger Federer kumaquarterfinal.
Uphinde wakhombisa ubuqhawe edonsisana kanzima noJohn Isner wase-USA kowandulela owamanqamu.
Umdlalo ube womunye wemide eseke yadlalwa. Bashukane ngaphezulu kwamahora ayisithupha, u-Anderson wagcina engene okokuqala kowamanqamu eWimbledon lapho ebezobhekana khona noNovak Djokovic. Nokho uhlulekile ukunqoba kuDjokovic ngeSonto ntambama.
UKlaasen waseKapa nozakwabo uMichael Venus waseNew Zealand bahlulwe kowamanqamu wama-doubles.