BY FORTUNE MBELE
ZIMBABWE junior tennis sensation Kudzai Chapepa continues to fly the country’s flag high after clinching the Under-14 girls Wilson Gauteng Grand Prix title in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday.
Kudzai (12) beat the top seed of the competition Alme van Schalkwyk 6-2, 6-3 in the girls’ final to land the silverware.
She has been in South Africa since last month together with her young sister Kuzivaishe, Tanaka Mhlanga and Emily George.
Kudzai’s coach Thesly Mufunda is ecstatic over the girls’ performance at the three tournaments in South Africa, considering that all sporting activities have once again been banned in the country due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
Mufunda said what excited him more was Kudzai’s progression from the first two competitions last month.
“Kudzai lost in the semi-finals in the last tournament and this motivated her in this one because if you look at the results and the way she played from the first round to the final; she dropped two games up to the semis and finally winning against the top seed, a top 10 ranked Under-14 player in South Africa,” Mufunda said.
“It really shows how she has tried to get out of the bubble of not getting anything last month during the first two tournaments. The progression is just remarkable. She won the final and she was doubles runner-up. In the singles she lost in the quarter-finals in the Growth Point Super 8 first leg and lost in the semis in the second leg and she goes on to win this one.”
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Kuzivaishe (9) playing in the Under-12s, beat Nelia Theron to finish in position seven 6-1, 1-6, 10-4 in the Wilson Gauteng Grand Prix.
George finished 10th after losing 6-3, 7-5 to Diana Hendrik while Mhlanga lost 6-2, 6-3 to Diane de Jager to end the tournament on position 20.
Kuzivaishe lost in the semi-finals of the Growth Point Super 8 first leg to the 13th seed of the competition Nicola Kruger 6-3, 6-4 in Benoni last month.
The Growth Point Super 8 is now in progress and the four girls train under Mufunda of Gap Sports Consultancy, who runs a tennis academy at the Bulawayo Athletics Club.
Follow Fortune on Twitter @fmbele
