Mbombela tennis coach walks the talk
The coach's busy schedule prevents her from competing in many competitions, but when she does, she dominates the field.
The simplest way to describe coach Reitumetse Metso is to use the phrase, “She talks a good game of tennis and plays it even better”.
Metso of Sunrise Tennis Academy recently won the Mpumalanga Seniors Closed Tournament twice in her first attempt, adding yet another accomplishment to her already excellent résumé.
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She won 6/2, 6/4 while playing against Lezahn Greeff, and also while playing against Emily Kutumela during the course of the three-day competition from September 30 to October 2. The size of her opponents did not seem to put her off.
Due to her coaching duties at the academy, she does not participate in many competitions, but when she does, like this year’s event at the Nelspruit Tennis Club, she makes the most of it.
The 26-year-old, who uses a two-handed backhand, attributes her success to the students she mentors. She says they help her stay in shape and inspire her to become a better player.
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In the mixed doubles, Metso and Wiehann Mohlen won the title, following victories over Zander du Preez and Bianca Jansen van Vuren, 6/2, 2/6 and 10/8. They also won against Teddy Ndlazi and Kutumela 6/1 and 6/4. This gave her greater success. They were defeated by Leon Repsold and Greeff 6/1, 4/6 and 8/10, but they prevailed.
The tournament’s victory puts the icing on top of a great year. Noah Snell, one of her players, has been making headlines in the juniors’ circuit by dominating competitions around the country.
Lefa Moganedi, another student, is beginning to establish himself in tennis.
The coach’s hitting partners, Wiseman Nkambule and Ndlazi, were also in the winner’s circle after winning the men’s singles 50 and 40. Msutfu beat Peet Rabie 6/3, 5/7 and 10/2, and Gordon Allison 6/3, 6/1, while in the 40 category, Ndlazi beat Joel Masuku 6/1, 6/0, Iwan Johnson 6/0, 6/0, and Peter Pienaar 6/2, 6/2.
