HARARE - Tennis Zimbabwe (TZ) is impressed by the turnout at the just-ended Astra Paints Tennis Centre Junior Championship held at Highlands Sports Club over the weekend.
The tournament which is one of the biggest development tournaments on the local tennis calendar attracted players from as far as Victoria Falls this year.
TZ administrator, Cliff Nhokwara said: “The new system under the Junior Tennis Initiative is beginning to bear results. Hopefully with the outreach programmes we are going to undertake, we will have even more players coming through.”
Astra Paints marketing executive, Teresa Marambire said they are targeting at nurturing the talent starting from the grassroots level.
“This is our 18th year sponsoring this tournament and we chose to sponsor junior tennis because we want to nature talent from the grassroots level,” said Marambire.
‘We hope that these youngsters will be the stars of the nation. We have several big tennis players who came from this tournament so the results are what keep us going,
“Although things are hard in the cooperate world but we just spare money from the little that we have so as to keep the dream alive.
“What is pleasing is that the competition that is exhibited by these kids is intense each and every year we want to see the youngsters growing into stars and ambassadors in the tennis world.”
Jason Chigaazira, who was heavily fancied to win the tournament, beat Michael Gutu 6-0, 6-2 in a boys’ Under 16-18 final.
Tariro Dembo scooped first place in the girls’ Under-18 category after beating Rudo Mahachi 6-0, 6-0 in the final.
In the boys’ Under-14 boy’s category, Valantine Munyawiri beat Gamuchirai Madziyire 6-1, 6-2 in the final.
Rufaro Mugararira beat Makanaka Wenga 6-0, 6-4 in the Under-12 girls category. In the girls Under-14 draw fourth seed Xenakis Daniela prevailed over second seed Annete Matumba 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 in the final.