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Ellina Mhlanga

Senior Sports Reporter

LOCAL junior tennis players will have another opportunity to showcase their skills at home when they take part in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) South Central Circuit Zimbabwe Leg 6 and Leg 7 events in Bulawayo.

Zimbabwe will host the J5 Bulawayo ITF South Central Circuit Zim Leg Six from November 28 to December 3 at Bulawayo Country Club. It will be followed by J5 Bulawayo ITF South Central Circuit Zim Leg Seven from December 5 to 10 at the same venue.

Tennis Zimbabwe general manager, Kupakwashe Mukurumbira, said they would want to see local players’ rankings improve as well as getting exposure competing with juniors from across the world.

“The tournament is part of the ITF World Tennis Juniors Tour, a development tour that provides players aged 18 and under the opportunity to travel the world and develop their talent.

“The ITF World Tennis Juniors Tour provides a launch pad for the best players to go on and achieve success in the professional game.

“The exposure obviously is key and the ranking part we have some that are doing fairly well that are there . . .  Our hope is obviously that the ranking of our players constantly improves and exposure to competition like this one then gives (them a) platform for that ranking to improve,” said Mukurumbira.

The ITF junior tournaments have become a permanent feature on the TZ calendar.

The upcoming tournaments are a positive development for local players as Bulawayo hosted two other ITF events between May and June.

Harare then hosted three events in August and with two more events lined up, it’s another opportunity for local junior players to earn ranking points.

“TZ recently developed a new strategic plan which will direct the organisation for the coming four years. The new strategy is deliberate and objective in developing and nurturing junior tennis talent.

“The hosting of international events now forms part of TZ’s mandate to expose tennis players to competition at the highest level. This tournament also serves as a way for effectively ranking players based on international performance,” said Mukurumbira.

For the first at the tournament, some of the local players in the main draw in the boys and girls singles include Thompson Thomu, Caleb Robb, Makanaka Whata, Ronan Mtisi, Kupakwashe Kanyore, Julie Tungamirai, Zahara El-zein, Hailey Banda and Ruvarashe Magarira.

Those that did not make the main draw will be hoping to pull through when they battle it out in the qualifying round which will be played two days prior to the main draw matches.

Having successfully hosted two events between May and June in Bulawayo, the national association will be looking forward to exciting tournaments.