P200,000 up for grabs in Africa Tennis Cup
Mqondisi Dube | Friday October 26, 2018 12:32
Confirmed players are from Botswana, Burkina Faso, Comoros, DR Congo, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa, Kenya, Siera Leone, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Teams will arrive on Sunday November 4, with competition for individual and doubles kicking-off the following day until Friday November 9.
On the last day of the competition, on November 10, there will be the teams’ competition, before the closing ceremony at 3pm.
All matches will be played at the Notwane Tennis Courts, which have a hard surface.
There are 38 players in the male category, while 25 will battle it out in the women’s section. The winner of men’s singles pockets $1,800 (P18,000), with the runner-up receiving $1,100 (P11,000). There is prize money for players finishing in position eight and below.
In the women’s category, the winner gets $1,100, while the runner-up receives $750 (P7,500). All players in the top eight will receive cash, with the player in eighth position receiving $150 (P1,500).
In the men’s doubles, the winners receive $600 (P6,000) while victors in the women’s category receive $400 (P4,000).
The men’s team event winners will pocket $2,400 (P24,000), with the runners up picking $1,400 (P14,000).
In the women’s team event, winners will get $1,600 (P16,000) while the losing finalists receive $1,000 (P10,000).
Lekang Aobakwe will captain the Botswana men’s team, while Sekgopi Tshegofatso is the non-playing captain in the women’s side. Tournament director, Oaitse Thipe said preparations for the continental showpiece are progressing well.
“Preparations are going well. Our team has been training at the Notwane training centre,” he said, adding, further details would be shared with the media at a press briefing next week.
The International Tennis Federation Regional Coaches Conference, which precedes next week’s tournament, started at Avani Hotel yesterday and ends tomorrow. It is the first time that the International Tennis Federation course is held outside South Africa.
“It is the first time that the meeting is held outside South Africa. It is exciting to get it outside and give other Federations an opportunity to build capacity in hosting events not just tournaments,” ITF Development Officer for Southern Africa, Tapiwa Masunga said.