Tough Duels Expected In Tennis Tournament
Naledi Lemogang | Monday August 14, 2017 15:14
The games, which kicked-off on Saturday, focus on players under the age of 18.
The categories involve the Under 10, 12, 14, and 16 for both men and women. However, the men’s category also have the Under-18 for singles and doubles.
The event this year attracted over 150 participants, which is said to be the biggest entry the association has ever recorded in the tournament.
“This year we are excited at the attendance and the quality competition amongst the players. Therefore, we are looking forward to a good tournament. These kids understand the importance of these competitions,” Benzah said. He said because they are focusing more on the development side of tennis they included the red and yellow balls for kids between the ages of five and 10 because these particular balls are slow and allow them to have fun while they learn the basic rules at the same time.
The annual tournament is used as a selection exercise as well for the national team by the association.
“We had to make sure that all the registered kids played their first games and every one plays both singles and doubles. Athletes have their coaches from Orapa, Francistown, Selebi-Phikwe, Gaborone amongst others and we also have partnership with Committee of Head of Private Schools in the south and north,” he said.
He said since government schools have opened, they have requested for Monday and Tuesday so that they attend the games. Meanwhile, Benzah said they are proud of the Toyota Motor Centre for doing such a marvelous job in supporting the tournament for the past 20 years and urged other stakeholders to come forth and encourage the development of sport in Botswana. The competitions also attracted participants from South Africa, India, Zimbabwe, Serbia, Portugal and Sri Lanka.