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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
AFTER successfully hosting this year’s ITF 18-and-Under South Central Circuit at Harare Sports Club, Tennis Zimbabwe are hoping to take it a step further by adding two more tournaments next year. The circuit saw three events running from July 31 to last Friday and they attracted players from Czech Republic, Canada, Great Britain and Brazil.

Zimbabwe’s Mehluli Sibanda was exceptional, claiming two singles titles and an equal number in the doubles with his partner Sheil Kotecha of Kenya. The junior tournaments have become a permanent feature on the local scene over the past few years.

TZ president Martin Lock pointed out that bringing the international tournaments to Zimbabwe gives more local players the opportunity to compete.

‘‘That’s the incentive why we try to do this, it’s not only to put Zimbabwe on the map but it’s a launching pad for our players. They get exposure against players better than them, some of them qualify, and some get into the main draw by virtue of their rankings.

“But this is how we develop players by hosting tournaments. It’s part of our development programme and next year we want to take it a step further and we would like to host two additional Grade Five tournaments in the first quarter of next year.

‘‘So we want to have five tournaments on the international calendar but for the benefit of our local players.

“We have been doing them for the last five or six years and each year with the support of the ITF we have managed to go from strength to strength because this year we have had a Grade Five, Grade Four and a Grade Three which is the highest tournament that is in the region of Africa,” Lock said.

The TZ president was recently in Vietnam attending the ITF general meeting and said the international mother body, whose main interest is development of the sport, have committed to funding more developmental programmes next year. “The heart of ITF is development and they committed next year to giving us funding for tournaments, funding for facilities, funding for equipment, funding for training of our officials and our coaches.

‘‘So we really do appreciate their support, we thank them and it was just really good to go and meet them first hand,” said Lock.

Previously local junior players have struggled to reach the finals of these events but Sibanda put up a good show in the last three weeks by winning two singles finals and losing one.

On the girls’ side, Zimbabwe’s best performance was from Kimberly Bhunu who reached the quarter-finals in two of the events she took part in.