Tennis prodigies dominate first NTA senior tourney

Namibia Tennis Association’s (NTA) first senior tournament of the year saw prodigies Rubben Yssel (16) and Mari van Schalkwyk (15) claim the men's and women’s singles titles at the competition held at Olympia’s Central Tennis Courts last weekend.Yssel’s first-round match was against Artem Nikitin, which he convincingly won 6-1, 6-0. He then faced Henlou du Toit in the quarter-finals, winning 6-3, 6-0. In the semi-finals, he went up against top seed Elias Shikongo and prevailed 6-4, 7-5 to advance to the final.The final was a tightly contested three-set battle against Nguvi Hinda. Yssel ultimately emerged victorious, winning 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (5) after claiming the tiebreak.Yssel expressed delight at claiming the singles overall title. “I feel great. It was an extremely tight match. We both gave everything on the court. I’m just glad to have come through on top,” he told Sport Wrap.Reflecting on the crucial moments that led to his victory, he emphasised minimising unforced errors. “We have similar forehands and backhands, and we matched each other well. I think the only difference was that I made fewer unforced errors,” Yssel said.The men’s doubles title went to Mickey Alemu and Sp van Wyk after they bested Ruben Yssel and Dickson Phiri 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.Alemu and Van Wyk faced Kendall Swartz and Oscar Muyambo in the semi-finals, securing their spot in the final with a 6-4, 6-2 victory.In the quarter-finals, they comfortably defeated Du Toit and Jaden van der Westhuizen 6-0, 6-0.Women’s sectionVan Schalkway claimed the women’s singles title with a hard-fought 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-5 win over Joanivia Bezuidenhout. She advanced to the semi-finals after receiving a walkover against Marie Phillips and then dominated Paula Zalto 6-1, 6-0 to reach the final.Expressing pride in her victory, Van Schalkwyk shared how illness during the week hindered her practice, forcing her to “dig deep” in the final to secure the win.Reflecting on the crucial moments that led to her triumph, she credited her support system. “[I owe this victory] to my family for their unwavering support, especially my grandfather, who does my fitness training with me, and obviously my dad, who is my coach,” she said.“I could not have done this without my hitting partners, Elias Shikongo and Linique Theron, as well as coach Mickey Alemu, who has had a big impact on my game. Overall, the tournament went well, and I am looking forward to the next one," Van Schalkwyk added.The women’s doubles title went to Van Schalkwyk and Bezuidenhout after they bested Larushka Kruger and Paula Zalto 6-3, 6-1. In the semi-finals, Van Schalkwyk and Bezuidenhout secured their place in the final with another 6-3, 6-1 victory over Leandre Loue and Emma Zalto.Tournament director Larushka Kruger praised the increase in women’s participation compared to previous years. “It was a good competition, with eight women participating, which is a record compared to last year's four per tournament. Sadly, we only had 14 male participants, which is a low number of entries,” she said.Kruger also noted that the tournament featured several three-set matches, something rarely seen in the country.- mariud@nsh.com.na

Tennis prodigies dominate first NTA senior tourney

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Namibian Sun 2025-02-19

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Tennis prodigies dominate first NTA senior tourney

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Namibian Sun 2025-02-19

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