Tennis ace Sarah grabs title with straight set victory
HER physical appearance may be likened to that of tennis icon Venus Williams, but that's not the only striking resemblance Sarah Sarjoo's shares with the multiple Grand Slam tournament winning American.
The 16-year-old Sarah is rapidly developing a reputation of being one of the more promising young tennis players in the country.
The former Durban girl, who now lives in Houghton, Johannesburg, blitzed her way to a second women's tennis title this year by beating a wily opponent more than twice her age.
Combining amazing athleticism with her innate ability to hit sizzling groundstroke winners, Sarah lifted the Coca Cola Mini Series title with a straight sets victory against Tracey Bulmer (6-0; 6-2) at Durban's Westridge Tennis Stadium on Friday.
On winning in Durban, she said: “I was excited with that victory. Winning at Westridge made it even more special, I have fond memories of playing there.”
The youngster said it was a bit awkward to shake her opponent's hand after that resounding victory, especially since Bulmer's daughter (Robyn) is a fellow competitor in the national Under 16 division. But the determination to win a tennis scholarship with US college kept Sarah, who was not seeded for the competition, focused.
Though the teenager was squaring up to Bulmer for the first time, she quickly devised a cunning plan to fell her opponent who beat the competition's number one seed in a previous round.
“She (Bulmer) has lots of energy, is quick on the court and can rally on and on. If rallies were prolonged, she would have had control of the match ,” said Sarah.
“My strategy was to shorten rallies and win points quickly, which meant I had to take more risks and hit more winners.
“My strategy worked,” the youngster declared.
Sarah was also a contender for the women's doubles title at the competition, along with her partner, Caitlin Herb, but rain prevented play in that final.
Currently ranked number seven in the national Under 16 division, Sarah, who recently appeared in a TV advert to endorse a popular energy drink because of her likeness to Williams, is confident about her chances of securing a US scholarship.
“I'm not getting ahead of myself and aiming to play on the Women's professional tour just yet. First I want to play on the highly competitive college circuit in the US before considering my options,” she said.
The former pupil at Crawford La Lucia is now studying with the British International College. Having completed her O-levels (grade 10 and 11) she is busy with her A-levels, which is the equivalent to matric.
While playing in her first senior event last year ranks as one of her best memories, having the opportunity to train with Rafa Nadal and William's coaches were some of her other moments to savour.