The Sunday News
Nkosilathi Sibanda Sports Reporter
AFTER a tense contest for dominance on court, Zimbabwe’s tennis players finally got it right at the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games, beating South Africa in team events, mixed doubles, and in the process adding gold in the bag.
Zimbabwe amassed nine medals, three gold, four silver and two bronze.
The Zimbabwean pair of Ronzai Saurombe and Valeria Bhunu put on a remarkable show to wrap up a good show by the hosts at Bulawayo Athletic Club yesterday, overcoming the highly fancied Musawenkosi Mpondi and Caitlin Herb 4-6, 6-3, 10-6 in the finals.
The match was one of the best matches played by Zimbabwe since the start of the tournament last weekend.
Struggling with his serves, Bhunu found solace in Saurombe’s hard-hitting returns. The first set proved tough, giving SA the lead, but, the succeeding two sets were a stroll towards gold for the home side, and which finally came.
In the semi-final of the mixed doubles team encounter, Zimbabwe met Botswana’s Emmanuel Mabhechu and Nthabiseng Mogopodi whom they outclassed 6-3, 6-3, 10-6.
South Africa had a date with Lesotho’s Kukutla Motlojoa and Mpho Kotzie in the last four easily dispatching their neighbours on straight sets, 6-2, and 6-1.
On Friday, Zimbabwe seemed to struggle against the talented duo of Mpondi and Herb and that gave coach Freeman Nyamunhokora a chance to revise his game strategy and his lads surely pulled a shocker.
From the first game of the Under-20 Youth Games, Zimbabwe’s players had assured that they were ready to stage an upset against their opponents.
The players, Saurombe, Taremedzwa Mariga, Rufaro Chirewa and Bhunu garnered enough points to stage up competition in any regional and continental circuit.
Nyamunhokora said the American based duo of Saurombe and Mariga did better than previously.
“The players did well to end the tournament by dominating South Africa in the team events. They are now a force to reckon with and this shows that tennis in Zimbabwe is on the rebound,’’ said Nyamunhokora.
“We were under pressure because we played on home ground. Of course the players stayed long overseas but this is their home, they have proved how best Zimbabweans can be,” the coach added.
Team manager Linsent Chitiyo was thankful to the home crowd, saying the sport of tennis has never received as much support as witnessed.
“The people of Bulawayo came in numbers at BAC. We have not seen so much support in years at tennis. We appreciate the gesture and I am sure in the coming tournaments tennis will become a popular sport too.”
Results
Zimbabwe v Botswana: R Saurombe (Zim) and V Bhunu beat E Mabhechu/ N Magopodi 6-3, 36, 10-6;
South Africa v Lesotho: M Mpondi/ C Herb beat K Motlojoa/ M Kotzie 6-2, 6-1
Final: Zim beat SA 4-6, 6-3, 10-6
