Junior players rally at Gauteng East Grand Prix
The Gauteng East Grand Prix, a junior tennis tournament for players between the age group levels of u-10 to u-18, was played at the Gauteng East Tennis Complex in Lakefield over two weekends in June.
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Finals were played on June 24 between young players from as far afield as Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Free State.
According to Ken Smith, president of the Gauteng East Tennis Association, the Grand Prix tournament went off well without any snags.
“The tennis played by the junior participants was of a high quality and the sportsmanship was generally pretty good,” he said.
Smith said that tournaments such as this one are always good for junior tournament and for the growth of the sport among youths.
“We have been aggressively pushing to see tennis become a more prioritised sport at schools in the Gauteng East region. I am convinced that growing the sport in our schools is the only way to develop this game in South Africa. We have met with teachers, coaches and principals in various areas and there has been good progress towards establishing more competitive school leagues,” he explained.
If you would like to get your school involved with tennis leagues and tennis development, contact Smith on 083 362 2835 or e-mail to gautengeast@iburst.co.za for more information.
The association’s attention has now turned to the hosting of the Gauteng East Tennis South Africa (TSA) Series junior tournament at the Benoni-based facility to be held from Wednesday, July 12 – July 17.
• Full results from the Gauteng East Grand Prix can be found here:
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