TOP female Zimbabwean junior tennis player Valeria Bhunu completed a remarkable comeback from a long-term injury after lifting the SAS Junior ITF 2 tournament in Stellenbosch, South Africa, at the weekend.
Report by Daniel Nhakaniso, Sports Reporter
To achieve her victory, the fourth-seeded Bhunu beat the third-seeded South African Jessica Simpson, one of stand-out performers at the two international events in Stellenbosch over the past fortnight.
Simpson won the Under-18 SAS Junior ITF 1 title last week, while Bhunu reached the semis. Both players are currently based at the Growing Tennis Foundation Academy in Cape Town, SA.
Bhunu overcame Simpson’s stubborn resistance to run out a 7-5, 6-2 win at the University of Stellenbosch Maties Tennis Club.
In an interview with NewsDay Sport from her base in Cape Town, Bhunu said she was delighted the win adding that she hoped it would serve her well for tougher upcoming tournaments in Spain.
“It feels really good to be winning again after having been away from the game for so long. It was by no means easy as they were a lot of gifted players from around the world, but fortunately I managed to go all the way, which feels good considering the hard work I had put in.
“Last week I came close to winning before losing in the semis and fortunately I managed to go all the way this time. Hopefully this will build my confidence as I have tougher upcoming matches in Spain,” said Bhunu.
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The win in South Africa was Bhunu’s second on the ITF circuit after her breakthrough win at the ITF South and Central Junior Circuit Championships in July last year in Namibia.
It also came in Bhunu’s second competitive tournament in over six months due to injury.
