The duo will be looking to keep the hosts in contention for honours in the age category after their male counterparts bowed out in the Round of 16 on Wednesday, the opening day of the four-day international tournament at the Botswana National Youth Centre (BNYC) hall. Nkele faces Zambia's Grace Kapuk in an encounter that pits two internationally ranked youngsters against each other. The Botswana player holds a slight advantage on paper, occupying position 486 in the senior women's world rankings compared to Kapuk's 609. Meanwhile, Mogaladi, a newcomer to the senior women's world ranking system, faces Nigeria's Aishat Rabui, who is ranked 846th. The encounter presents another opportunity for the youngster to make her mark against international opposition. Both quarter-final matches are scheduled for 2:45pm, with the winners advancing to the semi-finals later in the afternoon. The Under-17 singles finals will take place in the evening. However, the hosts endured mixed fortunes in the boys' competition despite an encouraging start to their campaign. Tinashe Dzvaka produced an impressive group-stage performance, topping Group 7 with four points to secure his place in the knockout rounds. Lefika Monnye and Reneilwe Lekorwe also progressed after finishing second in Groups 2 and 3 respectively, each collecting three points from one victory and one defeat. Nevertheless, the trio's campaigns came to an end in the Round of 16, leaving the hosts without representation in the latter stages of the Under-17 boys' competition. Despite the setback, Junior Diteemane remains firmly in contention across the tournament, with the Under-11, Under-15 and Under-19 categories still to take centre stage. The Botswana Table Tennis Association (BTTA) assembled a 30-member national squad, comprising 16 boys and 14 girls, for the country's historic first hosting of the WTT Youth Contender Series. Competition in the remaining age categories gets underway on Friday, before the tournament concludes on Saturday with the Under-15 and Under-19 singles finals.
