Mehluli Sibanda

FOR the ninth year on the trot, the Safeguard Zimbabwe Squash Open men’s final will be a Zambian affair when Ken Mwape takes on Mwinga Lengwe at Suburbs Squash Club in Bulawayo this morning.

Since the Zimbabwe Open was reintroduced in 2004 by the Matabeleland Squash Association, Zambians have taken turns to lift the men’s title with all the final featuring players from Zambia.

Mwinga, seeded fourth caused an upset when he defeated another Zambian, first seed Ray Simbule 3-1 in a semifinal clash played yesterday. It was Mwinga who showed his intentions clearly when he won the first game 14-12 and went on to take the second 11-9. Simbule, however, bounced back in the third, clinching it 11-3 only for Mwinga to seal the match with a 11-9 win in the fourth.

In the other semifinal, Mwape won 3-1 over Zimbabwean top seed Admire Magwaza.

A cash prize of US$1 000 is up for grabs in the men’s final which will be the major attraction on the last day of the three day event, being the last of four finals to be staged today.

In the women’s final, defending champion Sharon Chimfembwe meets South African Sharon Le Roux. The local doubles pair of Neil Nesbitt and Mike Burns, with eight successive doubles titles square up with the Zambian duo of Lengwe and Enos Mwale while in the doubles it is a battle between Zimbabweans Mark Dixon and Faizal Jassat.

A total of 31 players entered the men’s singles, 16 entered the women singles, with eight veterans and 16 doubles pairs with participants coming from Zambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.