Local tennis players gear up for Wanderers tournament
ILLOVO – Top junior players will contend for top rankings at The Wanderers Club from this weekend.
The International Tennis Foundation (ITF) World Junior Tour comes to The Wanderers Club this weekend, when junior tennis players will perform for a top ranking, which if secured could open international doors for their tennis careers.
Howard Espley-Jones, Director of Tennis at Wanderers Tennis Club, explained that while Covid-19 had affected sports, competitive tennis continued.
He explained the main goal of the tournament was for players to secure rankings with the ITF and that the country’s best tennis players under the ages of 18 would be competing.
He said pandemic protocol meant there were no spectators and that only players ‘+1’ (a parent or coach) were permitted entry.
He said Tennis South Africa (TSA) has travelling umpires and referees who assisted, and while international participation was low this year, due to the pandemic, there would be players from Zimbabwe, Botswana and even Denmark, among other countries.
He said there were numerous up and coming players who would contend at Wanderers over the coming week, namely Devin Badenhorst and Luc Koenig in the men’s categories, and Suzanie Pretorius and Heike Janse van Vuuren, in the ladies categories.
“South Africa has a strong tennis contingent, with players like Kevin Anderson fairing well on an international scene but for them, it all started at grass roots, like this tournament, where a ranking gave them entry to compete against the world’s greatest players.”
Daily results will be posted on the ITF site, at www.itftennis.com
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