St Mary’s School tennis star Lilitha finishes Federer’s set
WAVERLEY – The Match in Africa also showcased a host of local talent in between the matches.
A St Mary’s School‘s tennis player Lilitha Ndungane got a boost in her tennis career after sharing a stage with two renowned sport stars, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, in the recent Match in Africa game.
The match, which was played in Cape Town on 7 February, was watched by more 50 000 tennis fans across the globe.
Lilitha, a 1st team tennis player at St Mary’s School in Waverley, was selected as part of the U16 group to attend the national training camp held at the High-Performance Centre.
According to the Match in Africa website, Bill Gates and Trevor Noah joined the two champions for a curtain-raising doubles match, with Federer and Gates facing off against Nadal and Noah.
The event raised a total of USD3.5 million (approximately R54 million). The net proceeds of the match will be donated to the Roger Federer Foundation, to support education in rural South Africa, according to the website.
Kathy Mittendorf, head of marketing at St Mary’s School, said Lilitha was invited to be a ball girl at the Match in Africa exhibition game. “Only 10 players per age group were invited to attend this prestigious camp,” Mittendorf said.
“During this event, Federer handed his racket to Lilitha and asked her to play the point for him in front of the 52 000-strong crowds.”
The Match in Africa also showcased a host of local talent in between the matches, which kept the excitement high, including the legendary Ndlovu Youth Choir and the energetic Zip Zap Circus – a Cape Town-based social circus that was founded to inspire young people and to help build a new culture of peaceful coexistence in South Africa.
Details: St Mary’s School 011 531 1861.
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