The Grade Eight pupil from Mutare said his Angolan opponent was tough but he has a feeling that he is older.
“He is so huge. The way he hits the ball and runs around in the court, I don’t believe he is 13. I think he is 16 or thereabout.” Chidzikwe, a young brother to Zimbabwean tennis ace Genius Chidzikwe won gold in the first leg of the ITF/CAT U-13 circuit which ended in Gaborone before the start of the Junior Open. Against Deino, he was cheered by hundreds of spectators as he waged a tough fight. He did well to take the second set 6-2.
Although he trailed 3-0 at the start of the third set, Chidzikwe’s sharp technical awareness made him the darling of the crowd. He played lobs, top-spins, cross-courts and deep slices as if to prove how far his tennis has developed. He made some accurate deep serves that proved to be a nightmare to a host of opponents in the last three weeks in Gaborone. In the final set, Chidzikwe gave his supporters hope after he broke Deino’s serve to reduce the lead to 4-3. However, he blundered when it mattered most. He failed to hold on to his serve. His double fault gifted Deino the much-needed 5-3 advantage.
With the giant Angolan now serving for game point, Chidzikwe was faced with a mountain to climb. Both players rallied for sometime, fighting for the first point of the game until Deino’s deep slice from mid-court did the trick. The slice caught Chidzikwe on the base-line and his attempt to sprint for the ball ended in ignominy. He missed the ball and fell over the net. After the disaster, he was cautioned for cursing. Deino went on to clinch the match 6-1, 2-6, 6-3.
