Tinashe Phatshwane booked himself a slot in the boys singles final yesterday (Monday) by beating Lebone Tlape 6/4, 6/1. A brilliant performance on the courts by the local players which saw three girls, Camila Seetso, Reene Sebego and Rerotlhe Kgannye playing in the quarterfinals with Malak Macheng qualifying for the doubles finals with her partner, Ashley Mhandu. During the 2024 edition, Macheng scooped a gold medal by defeating Zimbabwe's Rutendo Tom in the singles final, with a score of 6-3, 6-2. She also secured a doubles gold medal with her partner Angel Chakanyuka in both legs of the tournament. Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) president, Oaitse Thipe told Sport Monitor that local players had a good tournament, with Phatshwane reaching the singles final, which means his ranking will improve. The girls who reached the quarterfinals will have their continental ranking improve. “We had players from Serowe, Palapye and Moeng playing this tournament, we continue to decentralize tennis. The decentralization of tennis is going well. We now have clubs with qualified coaches in Tswapong, Maun and Palapye,” he said. The ITF/CAT Under-14 and Under Circuit will be followed by Botswana Open Tennis Championships next week and the Davis Cup on July 23-26. BTA director of public relations and marketing, Tshepang Tlhankane said preparations for Botswana Open are going well, they have some of the best players around and some coming to take part. Regarding sponsorship, Tlhankane said they are still engaging some companies.
