South African year-end tennis wrap
Year 2014 described as a good one for SA despite challenges.
Despite the sponsorship challenges facing Tennis South Africa, 2014 has been an exciting year for the national body in South Africa and abroad.
Kevin Anderson and Chani Scheepers remained our top ranked male and female players with both impressing on the international circuit, both ending the year in the top 100 of the world and carrying the Rainbow nation flag high.
Anderson reached the finals in Delray Beach and Acapulco as well as the quarterfinals of Indian Wells, Washington, Masters 1000 in Canada, Masters 1000 in Paris, Queens in London and Valencia.
Chani Scheepers didn’t have the big year she was hoping for due to injury but managed to reach the quarterfinals in Bad Gastein.
Kevin Anderson ended the year on a career high ranking of 16. Cape Town’s Raven Klaasen reached a career high ranking of 18 in double and ended the year as the country’s top ranked doubles player at 20.
Klaasen had the best year of his career reaching the finals of the Australian Open with American Eric Butorac. Klaasen announced that in 2015 he would partner multi Grand Slam winner Leander Paes of India.
In November Klaasen won the biggest “match” of his career when he married long standing girlfriend, Celeste Jantjies also a Capetonian in a joyous ceremony witnessed by family, friends, past and present players from the professional tour in the Stellenbosch winelands.
South African Davis Cup Captain John Laffnie De Jager and his team will remain in the Euro/Africa Group 2 for 2015. This year fought their way past Monaco in a dramatic Round 1 Group 2 Euro/Africa Zone tie staged at the Irene Country Club in Centurion in February.
The first three rubbers went to five sets: Romain Arneodo upsetting Rik de Voest to put the visitor 1-0 up, before Nikala Scholtz defeated Benjamin Balleret to level the tie after Day 1.
Raven Klaasen and Ruan Roelofse survived a fight back from Guillaume Couillard and Thomas Oger to win the doubles rubber on Saturday, and then on the final day De Voest atoned for his earlier defeat in the first reverse singles match, defeating Balleret to send South Africa through to the next round.
In the following round Lithuania travelled to South Africa and beat their hosts to progress to the Euro/Africa Zone Group 1 promotion level. Lithuania beat South Africa 3-2 and prevented South Africa progressing to the promotion playoffs.
This would be the last tie South African Davis Cup stalwart Rik De Voest would play for his country.
The 34 year old De Voest announced ahead of the Lithuania tie that he would retire from the game and Davis Cup competition following the tie. Tennis South Africa presented an emotional De Voest with a special award on court at the Irene Country Club (De Voests home club) during the tie for his commitment to tennis in the country.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) also during the tie named De Voest as one of four South African’s (others Cliff Drysdale, Frew Mc Millan and Wayne Ferreira) as a recipient of the ITF Davis Cup commitment award for playing 20 or more home or away ties for the country.
