Stellenbosch, South Africa – The South African crowd had good reason to be in high spirits on Saturday at the Digicall Futures 3 being played in Coetzenburg, at the University of Stellenbosch.
The reason was that their “homeboy” Lloyd Harris of Cape Town won through to Sundays’ final in the men’s singles.

After a rain delayed start, fourth seed Harris was never troubled in his semifinal against unseeded Lucas Catarina of Monaco winning 6-4 6-2.

“Lucas plays a very different game to what I am used to, I didn’t necessarily play my best I just made sure my game was solid” said Harris following victory.

It took eighteen year old Harris one hour and twenty eight minutes to beat Catarina who has impressed throughout the three tournament Digicall Futures Series.

Harris in the finals on Sunday will go up against third seed Lucas Miedler of Austria.

The two last played in the finals of the Digicall Futures 2 last week which the Austrian won 7-6 (4) 6-1. “I have only played Lucas in last week’s finals and that did not go so well, I hope tomorrow I can get some revenge” added Harris.

In the second men’s semi-finals the two Austrian doubles partners Miedler and top seeded Pascal Brunner did battle. The two friends did not hold back against each other. Miedler however came out victorious upsetting his countryman in a three long setter 4-6 6-3 6-2 that lasted an hour and fifty minutes. “I think Pascal plays better than me, but I also have a good understanding of his game because we practice together and we are also doubles partners. I am happy to have won though and I hope in tomorrow’s final I will come out on top like in last week’s finals” said Miedler.

In the women’s singles quarterfinals top seed Hungarian, Naomi Totka had to pull out all the stops against Luisa Huber of Germany. Huber, seeded five, came out guns blazing taking the opening set 6-4. But the Germans run was short lived as Totka brought her all in the second set wining it 6-2 and then did not drop a game to eventually close out the match 4-6 6-2 6-0. Totka will face unseeded Gabriella Taylor of Great Britain on Sundays for the title.

Taylor upset eighth seeded Amelie Intert of Germany 6-4 6-1 in her semifinal.

The finals of the Digicall Futures 3 will begin at 10h00 on Sunday at the Maties Tennis Club. Entry is free and safe and secure parking is available.

Stellenbosch, South Africa – One of the brightest prospects in South African tennis, eighteen year old Lloyd Harris proved that he is a rising star in Stellenbosch on Sunday.

The Cape Town based junior captured the Digicall Futures 3 singles title played in Coetzenburg, at the University of Stellenbosch without dropping a set all tournament.

Harris seeded four was on a mission and wasted no time in the finals much to the approval of the local fans upsetting third seed Lucas Miedler in just fifty two minutes 6-2 6-1 to claim victory.

“I was more confident on court today and that made a major difference. I stuck to my game plan of playing aggressive with my forehand. After having played Lucas in the Digicall Futures 2 finals last weekend and observing his game during the week my coach and I devised a game plan that I stuck to today and it worked out very well for me.” said Harris.

This was Harris’ fourth Futures win this year. “This year has been pretty good so far this is my fourth Futures title of 2015 the first in Mozambique then Zimbabwe followed by a win in Egypt. I must say this win was the best, having the majority of the spectators routing for you is priceless. I was definitely more confident in today’s final no doubt about that. There is nothing like playing at home and having family and friends support you and people today really came out.” added Harris.

To end this year’s season, Harris plans to play in two Futures events next month in Nigeria. For 2016, Harris will focus on the Challenger tour with aim to qualify for ATP tournaments.

Lloyds coach Anthony Harris was beaming with pride after his charge won in the final. “Lloyds win came from him sticking to the game plan and not panicking. He played fast and kept it consistent. Also after studying his opponents game we realized his weaknesses which are him having difficulty with balls behind him and Lloyd used that to his advantage. This is just a small step in the bigger picture of things, it is also a victory to be celebrated as it indicates we are on the right track.”

In the women’s singles final unseeded Gabriella Taylor of Britain came from a set down to upset top seeded Naomi Totka of Hungary 4-6 6-2 6-1. It was a battle that lasted an hour and forty minutes and was especially sweet for Taylor being her first Futures win.

“Losing the first set even though it was quite close made me realize I needed to up my game. I stuck to my game and made sure I wasted no points” said Taylor following victory.
“I feel extremely happy today, and finished the Digicall Futures on a great high. I lost in the quarterfinals in the first week then the semis in the second and now I won the third week and dropped only two sets in doing so!”

The men’s doubles title went to third seeded Italian duo Fabio Mercuri and Luca Pancaldi, they upset the top seeded Austrian pairing of Pascal Brunner and Lucas Miedler 6-4 4-6 10-8.
In the women’s doubles South African Fed Cup players Madrie le Roux and Ilze Hattingh gave South Africa the second title of the tournament when they shocked top seeds Katharina Hering of Germany and Naomi Totka of Hungary 6-1 7-6 (5) in the finals.

Johannesburg, South Africa - Former top South African player Marcos Ondruska has been named Davis Cup captain, Tennis South Africa (TSA) has announced.
Ondruska, 42, has been engaged for the next two years.
Earl Grainger, who has held the position for the last two years, has been retained as captain of the Fed Cup team. Grainger also stepped in as caretaker manager of the Davis Cup team following the resignation of John-Laffnie de Jager.
“We are greatly appreciative of the work Earl has done for us over the past couple of years and the dedication he has shown,” said TSACEO Gavin Crookes.
“However, we decided to split the two positions again and having somebody with Marcos’s record and experience at the highest level of the game applying for the position the decision was made a lot easier to make.
“He applied for the job and we have appointed him for 2016 and 2017. I am delighted Marcos has accepted the position.”
Ondruska says he is extremely excited to take over as Davis Cup captain. “Davis Cup is something close to my heart and something I have a passion for. It is a team event in a sport that is played almost exclusively alone, which provides a great opportunity to learn. Just as I learned from my former Davis Cup coaches in real-time lessons that helped me grow as a player, I would like to pass on what I learned to the younger guys.
“My years as a Davis Cup player have given me the experience to understand the format, be comfortable with it, and guide the players when things get close and the tie is on the line. I was fortunate enough to have played in numerous 2-2 matches and was successful in a lot of them.
“I am also looking to provide a United States base for our South African Players at the Van Der Meer academy. This is the next logical step for players who have collected enough points and have a start on the ATP rankings. There are numerous futures and challengers within driving distance from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
“Wayne Ferreira is also based here and we would like to ensure that all the players’ games are improving and getting to that next level even while on tour. This provides a functional and affordable option that should ensure the players’ individual success, and also help the Davis Cup success in tandem,” said Ondruska.
Ondruska, who was ranked as high as No 27 in the world, had a record of 13 wins and nine losses in Davis Cup and played along Wayne Ferreira and Grant Stafford. However, he was always known as the man for the big occasion. One of the highlights of his career was when South Africa played Austria in Johannesburg in 1996 and with the tie level at 2-2, the Austrians pulled in world no 19 Gilbert Schaller to play the deciding rubber, claiming their selected player, Wolfgang Schranz, was injured.
The move backfired as Ondruska saw off the Austrian in straight sets, 6-3 6-4 6-2.
He did the same against Australia at Westridge Park in Durban with a team comprising Pat Rafter, Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge. With the tie all square at 2-2, Ondruska had to beat Mark Woodforde and that is exactly what he did.
Ondruska had wins over a number of top 10 players including Michael Chang, Michael Stich and Goran Ivanisevic. He also reached the doubles semi-final of Australian Open in 1993 with John-Laffnie de Jager.
He will be assisted by two consultants, one being former ATP and Davis Cup player Jeff Coetzee and the second to be announced later, in an effort to build a team for the future. “I was fortunate enough to watch some of our young stars in action in Stellenbosch, and think that there is a lot of potential and an exciting future ahead for tennis in South Africa,” said Ondruska.

Grainger has had excellent results with the Fed Cup team and as a result of his efforts South Africa will compete in Europe/Africa Zone Group I for the first time since 2006 after winning promotion from Europe/Africa Zone Group II in 2015.
South Africa defeated Finland 2-0 in the promotion play-offs to book their place in Zone Group I. The South Africans were undefeated through three ties in the round-robin stages of the event in Tallinn, with Chani Scheepers going a perfect 4-0 in singles as well as teaming up with Chanel Simmonds to win a decisive doubles against Estonia.
The two consultants will be Allan Karam and Natalie Grandin.

Grainger said he was proud to have been appointed Fed Cup coach once again. “I am honoured that TSA have belief in me as coach and my aim and objective is to continue on the road to success like we did this year. “ Grainger warned though that the task would be a greater challenge with the retirement earlier this year of South Africa’s top ranked women’s player Chani Scheepers. “We will miss Chani and her vast experience. Chani played a vital role in the promotion this year to Euro/Africa Group1. But on the flip side we have a talented crop of juniors, hungry to represent South Africa coming through the ranks. It’s going to be a challenge remaining in Europe/Africa Zone Group 1 but that’s my aim and objective next year.”

Ondruska’s first outing as captain will be against Luxembourg from 04 to 06, March 2016 at home in South Africa (venue still to be announced) whilst Grainger will lead his Fed Cup team in the Euro/Africa Zone Group 1 tournament in Eilat, Israel from 3 to 6, February, 2016.

Johannesburg, South Africa – The Grand Slam Development Fund Committee (GSDF) has awarded a travel grant to South African Fed Cup squad member Ilze Hattingh and Junior player Zani Barnard both of Pretoria.

The grant will see Hattingh, regarded as one of the country’s top future prospects, competing in tournaments in North Africa and South America from 26 January 2016 to 5 April 2016. Barnard will be for top tournaments on the international junior circuit in the USA and Australia from 30 November 2015 including the Australian Open Junior Championships in January next year.

Hattigh who competed in the recent Digicall futures series in Stellenbosch said “I am very happy to have been awarded the travel grant by the GSDF. As a tennis player you travel a lot and traveling can be very expensive, this grant will give me much needed financial help.”

Gavin Crookes, President and Acting CEO of Tennis South Africa said “ We congratulate Ilze Hattingh and Zani Barnard on being awarded travel grants by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Grand Slam Development Fund. This is due recognition for South Africa’s up and coming junior stars and suitable reward for their dedication to and many hours of hard training. The exposure that they will receive to top class international tennis will undoubtedly assist in raising their game to new levels which in turn bodes well for their tennis careers. We wish them well and assure them of our support.”

Hattingh will play in the following women’s events:

• 26 Jan- 1 Feb 2016: Futures, Tunisia $10,000
• 02 - 08 Feb 2016: Futures, Tunisia $10,000
• 09 - 15 Feb 2016: Futures, Tunisia $10,000
• 23 Feb – 01 Mar 2016: Futures, Brazil $25,000
• 02 - 08 Mar 2016: Futures, Brazil $25,000
• 09 - 15 Mar 2016: Futures, Brazil $10,000
• 23 - 29 Mar 2016: Futures, Brazil $10,000
• 30 Mar – 05 Apr 2016: Futures, Brazil $10,000

Barnard will play in the following events:

• 30 Nov – 06 Dec 2015: Eddie Herr International Tennis Championship, USA (G1)
• 07 – 13 December 2015: Metropolia Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship, USA (GA)
• January 2016: AGL Loy Yang Traralgon Junior International, Australia (G1)
• January 2016: Australian Open Junior Championships, (GA)

Johannesburg, South Africa – Tennis holiday fever has hit the country with the start of the festive season and school holidays.

Leading tennis manufacturers Dunlop and Slazenger have announced their sponsorship of two major national ranking tournaments in December and January next year.
The two tournaments namely the Slazenger Classic and Gauteng North Dunlop Open will be played in Cape Town and Pretoria respectively.
The Slazenger Classic, presented by Western Province Tennis will be played from 19-23 December with the Gauteng North Dunlop Open taking place from 7-11 January 2016.

Both tournaments form part of the prestigious Tennis South Africa Series where players earn national ranking points and will be played over the festive and New Year season with Border KFCTSA Series (8-12 December) and Easter Province TSA Series (13-17 December) being part of the swing.

The tournaments will have singles and doubles events for boys and girls in the age groups 10 and under, 12 and under, 14 and under, 16 and under as well as for men and women in the open age group.

Gavin Crookes, President of Tennis South Africa said that the timing of the sponsorship and tournament swing was appropriate as it was being played during the peak holiday period.
“We welcome the sponsorship investment by Dunlop and Slazenger into the game and thank the company for their continued support to tennis development in the country. It will be great to welcome all the tennis families to the four events and let’s hope that the tournaments set the tone for a happy holiday period over this festive season.”

Pretoria, South Africa- 2015 was a busy and exciting year for netball, South Africa’s biggest women’s sport, and particularly for the SPAR national team.

The SPAR Proteas got into action early in the year, as they prepared for the all-important World Cup in Sydney, Australia, in August.

The sponsors, spearheaded by supermarket giant SPAR, threw their full weight behind the Proteas, who had numerous opportunities to test themselves in international competition, including their participation in the European netball championships in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The national team put up a good performance in Belfast, finishing second to England.

Netball South Africa showed their determination to do well by inviting former Australia coach Norma Plummer to participate in a training camp in Pretoria. Plummer coached Australia to victory in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, and is one of the most highly-respected coaches in world netball.

Plummer was later appointed to coach the Proteas at the SPAR Diamond Challenge against Malawi, Uganda and Zambia at the Ugu Sports Centre near Margate. There was great jubilation when it was announced during the Challenge that Plummer had also been appointed to coach the Proteas at the World Cup. Her influence was immediately evident, as the Proteas made short work of their African opponents, including their eternal nemesis, Malawi, and they won the Diamond Challenge in style.

The Proteas travelled to New Zealand before the World Cup for a three-Test series against the Silver Ferns, who are ranked second in the world. Although South Africa lost the series 3-0, it gave Plummer the opportunity to spend time with the team and put her ideas into practice.

SPAR sponsored a full media contingent to travel to Sydney, which provided South Africa with radio, television, written and social media reports on the Proteas in the World Cup.
Shortly before the start of the World Cup, South Africa were finally acknowledged as the fifth-ranked team in the world, and they maintained this status by finishing fifth in the competition. They lost their opening match to Malawi, but got their revenge in the fifth-place playoff, when they beat the Malawi Queens by 50 goals to 40. The general feeling was that if Plummer had had more time with the team, they could have done even better.
Shortly after the World Cup, the cream of South African netball gathered in Ugu for the Spar National Championships. For the first time, the senior and Under-21 championships were played simultaneously, and the participating teams were drawn from provinces rather than districts.
Netball South Africa (NSA) Director of Demarcation and Structures, Mami Diale explained that the aim of the new approach was to raise the standard of play at the tournament and to ensure that it was all high performance.
Although there were a few teething problems, most coaches welcomed the new format and agreed that it exposed more players to netball at the highest level. North West made a clean sweep at the tournament, walking away with the gold medals in both the senior A and B divisions, as well as in the Under-21 contests.
The Brutal Fruit Premier Netball League entered its second year, and proved even more popular than in its first year in 2014. It was notable that the difference between the stronger and weaker teams had shrunk, proving the value of giving players more game time.
NSA President Mimi Mthethwa said 2015 had been an important and successful year.
“We are particularly happy that we are having so much interaction on social media with our netball fans,” she said.
“The Brutal Fruit Premier League has captured their imagination and it is clear that there are many fans out there. We welcome their input, and take their criticism to heart. We aim to develop our relationship with our fans over the coming year,” she said.
While two former stalwarts of the national team, Amanda Mynhardt and Zanele Mdodana, announced they were hanging up their netball shoes, Mthethwa said the Brutal Fruit competition, and the SPAR national championships had shown that there was not shortage of talent in South Africa.
“I believe netball will continue to go from strength to strength,” said Mthethwa.

• International Tennis Federation (ITF) appoints South African’s to ITF Committees and Commissions

Johannesburg, South Africa - In a boost for tennis and sport in South Africa, The International Tennis Federation (ITF) confirmed that they had appointed four South African tennis administrators to various ITF Commissions.

The appointments will be for the 2015-2017 period.

TSA President and Acting CEO, Gavin Crookes of Kwa-Zulu Natal will serve as a Member of the Non World Group Davis Cup Fed Cup Taskforce.

Riad Davids of the Western Cape, the TSA Vice President will serve as a Member of the ITF Junior Committee.

The third Board member selected by the ITF is Ronnie Van’t Hof of Gauteng who will join the ITF Seniors Committee.

Leon Freimond of Pretoria who is the current TSA Manager of Performance Tennis, Coaching and Schools will serve on the Coaches Commission.

David Haggerty, President of the ITF said that the appointment of the South African’s was based on information received from the individuals from a wide variety of sources and based on this input the ITF believed the appointed South Africans background, skills, experience, competencies, talent and passion would truly contribute in helping the ITF make a difference.

“The next few years will be important for the ITF as we strive to increase tennis participation and achieve the ITF’s strategic priorities” said Haggerty. “Committees and Commissions will play a critical role in providing the resources needed to meet the challenges that lie ahead and I am sure the appointed gentlemen from South Africa will contribute to meeting those challenges” continued Haggerty.

Johannesburg, South Africa - Other than South African tennis stars Kevin Anderson and Raven Klaasen flying the Rainbow nation flag at the first Grand Slam of 2016, three South African tennis officials will be representing the country in Melbourne at the Australian Open which starts next week.

Tennis South Africa’s (TSA) Technical Manager Ian Smith, Africa’s highest ranked tennis official who heads the officiating programme at TSA is presently in Melbourne to do Review Officiating duty there.
“Being appointed to officiate at the Australian Open is a big responsibility, but an appointment that is very much appreciated and an honour to accept. Working any of the Grand Slams even once is an accomplishment as being part of the games is a wonderful experience and a privilege” said Smith

Smith is joined by three other South African officials, all Pretoria based, namely George Phiri, Charles Mehlape and Pieter Hoeksma who will have line and chair umpiring duties for the Grand Slam. Mehlape who has been based in Australia for a number of years, was nominated through the Tennis Australian officiating system but recently moved back to South Africa.

Phiri said; “Tennis Officiating is my first love and passion and to officiate in the game at the highest level is a true honour for me.”

“Only after arriving at the Australian Open site for my seventh Australian Open I realized once again how privileged I am to be part of this amazing event. After so many years I still get goosebumps when walking on court and always a little nervous for those close calls. I’m really looking forward to the next three weeks of awesome tennis experiences” beamed Hoeksma.

Tennis South African President and acting Chief Executive Officer, Gavin Crookes said; “My best wishes go the four officials all the best as they head to Melbourne to work at the opening Grand Slam of 2016. I know they will do themselves, South Africa and the game proud”
The Australian Open takes place in Australia Melbourne from 18 to 31 January 2016

• South African tennis juniors dominate in zonal championships

Pretoria, South Africa - South Africa dominated the International Tennis Federation Southern African Junior Championships Zonal which ended at the University of Pretoria Sports Grounds on Saturday.

Of the thirteen titles up for grabs after the weeklong event, team South Africa won twelve titles. The only title South Africa failed to capture was the Boys under 14 doubles which was won by Mauritius beating South Africa in the final.
The hosts made a clean sweep in the singles winning the boys and girls titles in the under 12, 14 and 16 age groups.

The boys singles winners were Phillip Henning (FS) under 16, Carl Roothman (Bol) under 14 and Devon Badenhorst (GN) under 12. The girls singles winners were Kaylin Bouwer (EP) under 16, Delien Kleynhans (FS) under 14 and Gabriella Broadfoot (GN) under 12.
The eleven titles secured the hosts the overall team trophy.

Ten countries were represented at the Zonal Championships which included Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia plus South Africa.
South Africa will now represent the Southern African Zone in the African Junior Championships to be played at the same venue from 8 – 18 March 2016.

“ This was one of our best performances in years at the zonal championships which indicates that junior tennis in South Africa is healthy and our youth development programmes are on track” said Gavin Crookes President and Acting CEO of TSA. “ We need as the controlling body of the game to capitalise on this result so that we can produce more top world ranked junior players which will help us develop future Kevin Anderson success stories. TSA have this as a priority and are working hard at giving the junior players of our country bigger opportunities” added Crookes.

Pretoria, South Africa - Tennis South Africa (TSA) announced their strongest possible Fed Cup team for the upcoming Fed Cup Euro/Africa Zone Group 1 tie to be staged in Eilat, Israel from 3-6 February 2015.

The team announced is; Chanel Simmonds, Ilze Hattingh, Madrie le Roux and Michelle Sammons with Earl Grainger as Captain.

South Africa will be competing in Europe/Africa Zone Group 1 for the first time since 2006 after winning promotion from Europe/Africa Zone Group 2 in Tallinn, Estonia last year.

South Africa will face the hosts Israel as well as Sweden, Portugal, Ukraine, Great Britain, Georgia, Croatia, Estonia, Turkey, Hungary, Belgium, Bulgaria and Latvia in the round-robin competition to be played at the Municipal Tennis Centre.

“It is going to be an enormous challenge competing in Group I,” said Grainger. “However I am confident the girls will do very well, we will be fighting all the way to keep the South African flag flying high.”

South African team rankings (singles/doubles);

Chanel Simmonds; Singles 318, Doubles 299
Ilze Hattingh; Singles 671, Doubles 428
Madri Le Roux; Singles 707, Doubles 583
Michelle Sammons; Singles - , Doubles 318

PRETORIA; Netball South Africa has dubbed 2016 the “Year of Possibilities” with a number of high profile developments that will drive netball towards its goal of becoming a fully professional code and the pinnacle of elite women’s sport.

Among the most significant developments are the expansion of the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League; the introduction of an international four nations tournament and the enhancing of their relationship with top international coach Australian Norma Plummer to consult on coaching in the country.

“We are very proud of where we’ve come from over the last three years during which we have taken massive strides in raising the public and media profile of the sport both on and off the court,” said Netball SA president Mimi Mthethwa. “We want to continue that growth in 2016 and beyond as we continue towards our goal of creating a fully professional women’s sport.”

In 2016, Mthethwa says domestic netball’s most significant competition, the Brutal Fruit Netball Premier League will be both bigger and more entertaining as it moves from its Gauteng base, where it was staged for the past two years, to two different cities. In addition the tournament will also feature 10 teams in one division this year instead of two divisions and will run over the course of eight weeks instead of the five weeks of the previous two years.

The BFNPL will be played in two different venues instead of one. The first three weeks see the tightly-contested BFNPL taking place at the Heartfelt Arena in Tshwane, the venue that helped NSA launch the successful Diamond Challenge in 2012. The following five weeks, inclusive of semi-finals and finals see the teams battling it out in Durban.

“We want to be seen to be moving towards fulfilling our objective of taking the BFNPL to all provinces by 2018. We hope this will be possible in the ever-growing partnership and support we receive from government. Each province has been encouraged to ensure that they build an indoor facility for this purpose.

“The BFNPL has been an incredible success since its launch in 2014, setting a new standard for high performance netball in the country as well as gaining us significant increases in media and public attention,” said Mthethwa. “We’ve always wanted it to be a fully national tournament. 2016 therefore gives us the opportunity to pilot moving the BFNPL between two provinces as a start. We are confident that this will also attract more spectators and interest”.

Internationally, the inaugural Four Nations (SANZEA) tournament will see South Africa locking horns with New Zealand, England and Australia in August this year. The importance of regular international fixtures outside of Netball World Cup and Commonwealth Games is recognised by the participating nations, who are united in their goal of developing a high profile and regular international competition.

New Zealand and Australia will host the inaugural event in 2016, with the competition moving to South Africa and England, who will host the matches in early 2017.

Mthethwa said: “These are exciting times for South African netball as we are in the process of developing the most prestigious annual tournament to compliment the quadrennial Netball World Cup. The competition will be fierce and our Proteas will only improve in the company of such illustrious opponents .”

NSA will also focus on their preparations ahead of the African Qualifiers that will be held in Botswana later in the year in the hope to qualify for the U/21 World Championships that will also be hosted in Botswana next year.

Australian coach Norma Plummer will continue to assist the SPAR Proteas but her role will be enhanced to include her working with coaches across the country. Netball SA will also introduce an U/17 category at the annual SPAR National Championships, to assist in identifying talented young players at an early age.

Mthethwa said the federation’s vision for netball goes way beyond winning games and she hopes that the sport can turn professional and open more opportunities for officials.

“We want to see the BFNPL become professional, more technical officials of colour achieving top merits in order to become internationally accredited and for more coaches to religiously work with Norma Plummer starting from February,” the president said. “We are very committed to achieving the targets that we have set for ourselves and we have signed an MOU for with the Minister of Sport on the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) project that seeks to address issues of transformation.

“We are encouraged to work even harder on issues of ensuring good governance in running Netball SA. The recent reports presented by sports research firm BMI on different surveys done with sports federations put us in a very good space when we hear that the private sector is beginning to notice the hard work we do.

Mthethwa said that the findings indicating that there was growing interest among corporates to start investigating the potential of netball as a marketing and sponsorship vehicle was promising. “We just have to ensure that we are all focussed on one goal; proving to all that as women in sport we deserve to be given an opportunity,” she said. “We are always open to advice and constructive criticism because we realize that we still have a lot to learn in running the sport as a business.”

Lessons and setbacks were encountered last year and Netball SA has had their fair share of challenges.

“Not being able to get players as frequently as we would’ve liked in preparation for the World Cup was challenging and is hard to improve on. Also finding a suitable cost efficient facility for our competitions is still the biggest challenge as it means using funds meant for development on securing venues for our elite competitions,” Mthethwa said.
Netball SA has dubbed 2016 “The year of possibilities” and they will be doing what they possibly can to get fans involved in their matches. Apart from SuperSport broadcasting the games live and SABC Radio’s live match broadcasts, Netball SA will continue to prioritise its online presence and use their social media platforms to engage with fans.

Thursday, 28 January 2016, Melbourne, Australia. – South Africa’s Lucas Sithole has won the wheelchair tennis quad doubles title at the Australian Open tennis tournament on Thursday in Melbourne. Sithole and partner American former world no.1 David Wagner turned back the clock to serve past second seeds Andy Lapthorne (GBR) and Dylan Alcott (AUS) 6-1 6-3 in an 1 hour battle at Melbourne Park.
It is Sithole’s first Grand Slam doubles title.
“I enjoyed the match very much. It was great to play with David Wagner, it was our first match together and it was easy to play with him. I am extremely excited for taking the doubles title and again winning against Andy Lapthorne today”, said an excited Sithole.
After losing to Wagner in his opener on Wednesday, the South African world no.3 survived a three-setter test against Britain’s Andy Lapthorne in the quads singles, edging out the Brit 2-6 6-1 6-0 to keep his dream of securing a singles title alive .
The country’s top women player Kgothatso Montjane, put up a fight on Wednesday against Aniek van Koot of the Netherlands in the women’s singles, but the Dutch player snatched a 7-6 7-5 win to knock out the world no.8.
Montjane suffered another loss on Thursday after she joined forces with German partner Sabine Ellerbrock and went down 6-4 7-5 against second seeds Marjolein Buis and Yui Kamiji in the first round of the women doubles competition.

Eilat, Israel - The ITF has announced the official draw for the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Europe/Africa Zone Group I event taking place from 3-6 February 2016.
The four day event will be played in Eilat, Israel at the Municipal Tennis Centre there.

The fourteen nations contesting the Europe/Africa Zone Group I event are Sweden, Portugal, Ukraine, Great Britain, Georgia, Croatia, Estonia, Israel, Turkey, Hungary, Belgium, Bulgaria, Latvia and South Africa.All nations contesting the Zone Group I events will be bidding to qualify for the Fed Cup World Group II play-offs on 16-17 April, with two teams qualifying from the Europe/Africa Zone, and one team from both the Americas and Asia/Oceania Zones.

South Africa have drawn second seeds Great Britain and Georgia in their Pool B. South Africa will play Great Britain for their opening match on Wednesday morning followed by unseeded Georgia Wednesday afternoon.

Britain who is captained by mother of Andy Murray, Judy confirmed Monday that their star player Johanna Konta would miss the tournament due to an intestinal issue. Konta was a surprise semi-finalist at last week’s Australian Open where she lost to eventual winner Angelique Kerber. She also reached the fourth round of last year’s US Open and is ranked 47 in the world. With Konta out, the British side will be spearheaded by Heather Watson ranked 79 on the world rankings.
Georgia’s players are ranked around the same as the South African players on the world rankings but with the tournament being played on hard court, team South Africa could have an advantage over their opponents who prefer the slow clay.

Team Captain Earl Grainger said that his team faced a big challenge in Israel. “Let’s not kid ourselves we are in a very tough tournament and have drawn the second seeds in our opening pool. We were promoted last year largely to the fact that Chani Scheepers made herself available for the team and not losing a rubber. But with Chani retiring late last year we have no player in the top 150 to lead our challenge. But we have a very competent and enthusiastic team who are able to deliver so South Africa can be well assured of our best efforts always.”

The draw conducted Monday is as follows;

POOL A
1-Sweden
Portugal
Ukraine

POOL B
2-Great Britain
Heather Watson
Anna Smith
Jocelyn Rae
(Fourth member to be confirmed)
Captain: Judy Murray

Georgia
Sofia Shapatava
Ekaterine Gorgodze
Sofia Kvatsabaia
Oksana Kalashnikova
Captain: Margalita Chakhnashvili-Ranzinger

South Africa
Chanel Simmonds
Ilze Hattingh
Madrie Le Roux
Michelle Sammons
Captain: Earl Grainger

POOL C
3-Croatia
Estonia
Israel
Turkey

POOL D
4-Hungary
Belgium
Bulgaria
Latvia

Eilat, Israel - South Africa made a disappointing start to their Fed Cup Euro Africa Group 1 campaign being played in Israel on Wednesday.

Drawn into Pool B with second seeds Great Britain and Georgia, South Africa faced Georgia in their opening tie at the Municipal Tennis Centre in Eilat.
Georgia beat South Africa 3-0 which means that should South Africa have any chance of playing for promotion come the weekend they will have to beat the fancied Great Britain team on Thursday.

Madrie Le Roux, the South African number 2 opened procedures but lost to Georgia number 1, Ekaterine Gergodze 3-6 1-6 in a rubber that lasted 18 minutes short of two hours.

Then it was the turn of South African number 1, Chanel Simmonds against Georgia number 2 Sophia Shapatava.
Ranked some 100 places higher than her opponent at 226, Shapatava played smartly and consistently to beat Simmonds 7-5 6-4. The victory secured her side the tie win.

In the dead doubles rubber, Ekaterine Gergodze returned to court and together with Keteryna Bondarenko to beat South Africa’s Illze Hattingh and Michelle Sammons 6-4 7-6 (6) and give Georgia the clean sweep.

On Thursday South Africa play a strong Great Britain who is captained by Judy Murray, mother of Andy Murray. South Africa will be relieved that the British number one Johanna Konta has withdrawn from the tournament due to intestinal problems. Konta is one of the rising stars of world tennis having just reached the semifinals of the Australian open losing to eventual winner Angelique Kerber.

DAY 1 RESULTSOFTHE 2016 FEDCUPBYBNPPARIBASEUROPE/AFRICAZONEGROUP I

Selected results of the 2016 Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Europe/Africa Zone Group I played in Eilat, Israel on Wednesday.

Georgia beat South Africa 3-0

Singles
Ekaterine Gorgodze (Geo) bt Madrie Le Roux (RSA) 6-3 6-1
Sofia Shapatava (Geo) bt Chanel Simmonds (RSA) 7-5 6-4

Doubles
Ekaterine Gorgodze/Oksana Kalashnikova (Geo) bt Ilze Hattingh/Michelle Sammons (RSA) 6-4 7-6 (6)

Johannesburg, South Africa - Next week 19 year old Lloyd Harris will jet into South Africa as part of the South African Davis Cup Squad to play Luxembourg from 4-6 March at the Irene Country Club.

Harris who is playing his first ATP Challenge this week in Japan upset fifth seed Hiroki Moriya from Japan 4-6 6-3 7-6 (4) to move into the quarter finals where he will meet another Japanese star, Yuichi Sugita the top seed on Friday.

The timing of Harris fine form is perfect as South African Davis Cup Captain, Marcos Ondruska has indicated that Harris could well be named as the second singles player with Tucker Vorster in the final South African team to play Luxembourg in the crucial Euro Africa Group 2 Davis Cup clash in Pretoria next weekend. If Harris is named by Ondruska it will be his first official outing in the green and gold for South Africa in Davis Cup competition.

Harris was also rewarded for his fine form when the International Tennis Federation confirmed on Monday that Harris has received a travel grant to assist him with travel expenses. This grant is part of the ITF Development Programme, which is financed by the ITF and the Grand Slam® Development Fund (GSDF).

During the period 1986 – 2014 over US$ 92 million has been invested by the ITF and the Grand Slam nations in tennis development activities in 150 countries worldwide. In 2014, US$ 4.34 million was spent on the Development Programme with US$ 2.63 million being invested by the ITF and the balance of US$ 1.71 million contributed by the Grand Slam nations to the Grand Slam Development Fund.

With the aim of raising the level of tennis worldwide and increasing the number of countries competing in mainstream international tennis, the Development Programme includes a broad range of initiatives in less developed countries ranging from the grass roots to Grand Slams. Activities include ITF/GSDF touring teams, funding for junior and professional tournaments, training centres, coaches education, the supply of tennis equipment and the ITF Junior Tennis Initiative – a 14 & under player development programme, which encompasses Tennis10s (School Tennis Initiative) and Performance Tennis Initiative programmes.

Special emphasis has been placed on junior tennis where regional tournament circuits have been developed and teams of young players compete outside their own region. In 2014, 26 regional circuits were supported by the Development Programme providing much needed competition for the best players at 18, 16, 14, 13 and 12 & under age groups across the globe (Central America & Caribbean, South America, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and Pacific Oceania).

Players who perform well at these regional circuits are invited to join an international touring team. The ITF/GSDF touring team programme aims to facilitate the transition of talented players through regional and international competitions and onto the professional ranks. In 2014, there were 21 ITF/GSDF Touring Teams involving 123 players from 61 different countries. Former ITF/GSDF Touring Team members include: Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil), Nicolas Massu (Chile), Nicolas Lapentti (Ecuador), Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi (India), Angelique Widjaja (Indonesia), Eleni Daniilidou (Greece), Younes El Aynaoui (Morocco), Paradorn Srichaphan (Thailand), Cara Black (Zimbabwe), Jarkko Nieminen (Finland), Florin Mergea (Romania), Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus), Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine), Viktoria Azarenka (Belarus), Uladzimir Ignatik (Belarus), Ricardas Berankis (Lithuania) and Li Na (China).

Programme for the tie:
Friday 4 March: 9.45am: Opening Ceremony. The first singles match will start at 10am with the second rubber following immediately thereafter.
Saturday 5 March: 12.00pm: Doubles Match
Sunday 6 March: 10am: First reverse singles match, followed by final singles match.
All the matches are played as the best of five sets until a result has been achieved.

Tickets to the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Euro/Africa Zone Group 2 South Africa vs Luxembourg tie are available at R100.00 per person and at R250 for a season ticket (three day ticket) via Webtickets.co.za and instore at Pick n Pay’s with Money Counters

• South Africa upbeat ahead of Davis Cup clash
• Luxembourg on a “high” at altitude

Pretoria South Africa – South African Davis Cup captain, Marcos Ondruska was upbeat at the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Euro/Africa Group 2 tie South Africa vs Luxembourg pre-draw media conference held in Pretoria on Tuesday. Ondruska told the media at the Irene Country Club that his team had settled and were in good spirits. “I have a good bunch of guys who are fit, strike the ball well and are happy and funny and the mood in the camp after two days of practise is upbeat”.

Ondruska said that he was on track with his preparations and was confident his team would be reaching their peak by the weekend. “We don’t want to peak too soon so we slowly preparing each player to be ready by the weekend” said Ondruska.

It seemed that Ondruska was still sticking to his plan of playing Tucker Vorster and Lloyd Harris in the singles and Dean O’Brien and Ruan Roelofse in the doubles over the weekend. The Captain has however also brought Keith-Patrick Crowley into the squad and Crowley could play come Friday should any of the named four player be injured or lose form ahead of the official draw on Thursday.

Vorster, a native of Pretoria said he was happy to be back in his home town and encouraged the fans to come out to support South Africa.

The Luxembourg team admitted that without their star player Gilles Muller being on their side, they had a weakened chance. Captain Johny Goudenbour said “We not sure if Gilles will arrive or not but at this stage he won’t be playing and that obviously isn’t great for us. Gilles is a top 50 player with a lot of experience and would bring a strong chance to the team.”

It seems as if the high altitude has troubled the Luxembourgers and made practise very difficult. Luxembourg number one Ugo Nastasi said that the balls were “flying” around the court and high altitude was a big challenge. “The court is fast and balls are flying and its taking some time to get used to the altitude but each practise has been better than the last and we are sure we will be ready by Friday” said Nastasi.

The South African Davis Cup team will go up against Luxembourg at the Irene Country Club for their Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Europe/Africa Group 2 tie from 4-6 March.

The South African team is made up of players Tucker Vorster, Lloyd Harris, Ruan Roelofse, Dean O’Brien, Keith-Patrick Crowley and team Captain Marcos Ondruska

South Africa is ranked 56 and Luxembourg is ranked 58 on the Davis Cup world rankings. This is the first time the two nations will be playing each other.

Programme for the tie:
Friday 4 March: 9.45am: Opening Ceremony. The first singles match will start at 10am with the second rubber following immediately thereafter.
Saturday 5 March: 12.00pm: Doubles Match
Sunday 6 March: 10am: First reverse singles match, followed by final singles match.
All the matches are played as the best of five sets until a result has been achieved.

Tickets to the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Euro/Africa Zone Group 2 South Africa vs Luxembourg tie are available at R100.00 per person and at R250 for a season ticket (three day ticket) via Webtickets.co.za and instore at Pick n Pay’s with Money Counters

Pretoria, South Africa - When teammates Dean O’Brien and Keith-Patrick Crowley took off their shirts during practice on Wednesday they offered some “mouthwatering” viewing for some of the fans that passed by the Irene Country Club to watch the local team train ahead of this weekend Davis Cup tie South Africa vs Luxembourg.

Both O’Brien and Crowley are other than professional tennis players on the ATP World Tour, part time models on the international circuit and their athletic builds compliment their good looks and will surely offer some real “eye candy” for the fans that come out to the Irene Country Club for the tie.

Programme for the tie:
Friday 4 March: 9.45am: Opening Ceremony. The first singles match will start at 10am with the second rubber following immediately thereafter.
Saturday 5 March: 12.00pm: Doubles Match
Sunday 6 March: 10am: First reverse singles match, followed by final singles match.
All the matches are played as the best of five sets until a result has been achieved.

Tickets to the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Euro/Africa Zone Group 2 South Africa vs Luxembourg tie are available at R100.00 per person and at R250 for a season ticket (three day ticket) via Webtickets.co.za and instore at Pick n Pay’s with Money Counters

Pretoria, South Africa – There were no surprises when the official draw of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Euro/Africa Group 2 tie between South Africa and Luxembourg was conducted Thursday morning at the Irene Dairy Farm in Pretoria.
Rumours about a possible late arrival of Luxembourg’s top player Gilles Muller ranked 46 in the world to join his team were sidelined when the Luxembourger failed to arrive in the country at the deadline to sign in an hour before the official draw at 10hh00 on Thursday.

Muller was never nominated by the Luxembourg Tennis Federation when nominations had to be submitted to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) ten days ahead of the tie. However the ITF rules stipulate that the nomination can be changed up at an hour before the official draw. Rumours were rife that Muller who lost early in the ATP Acapulco event and withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open ATP Masters starting next week in Indian Wells, would jet into South Africa as a surprise tactical inclusion in the Luxembourg team for this weekend’s tie.
Luxembourg Captain, Johny Goudenbour since arriving in the country Saturday confirmed that Muller was not with the team but that the Luxembourger number one could still arrive. “We never know with Gilles when he could possibly make an appearance and by Wednesday he had not arrived but with Gilles you never know. He is a proud Luxembourger and has vast Davis Cup experience and will do his best whenever schedules allow to represent his country.”

South African number one, Tucker Vorster of Pretoria will get South Africa’s weekend campaign under way against Luxembourg at the Irene Country Club tomorrow (Friday). Tucker will play Luxembourger number two, Alex Knaff in the opening rubber. Knaff’s name was drawn first out the hat for the first singles rubber at the draw made at the historic Irene Dairy Farm (started in 1895) and officiated by ITF Referee of Israel.
It will be the first meeting between Vorster and Knaff.
This will be the fourth time that 27 year old Vorster will step onto court in the green and gold. Knaff is aged 18 is one of the brightest prospects to come out of Luxembourg and has enjoyed a success international junior career.

The second singles rubber on Friday will see South African number two Lloyd Harris of Cape Town up against Luxembourg number one Ugo Nastasi. Harris will make his Davis Cup debut on Friday.
“I am very excited and honoured to be playing for South Africa in Davis Cup” said Harris. “I have dreamed of this moment and it’s really a dream come true for me. I have been in great form of late and feel confident that I can take that form into the weekend. I am ready to give of my best.”
The absence of Kevin Anderson and Raven Klaasen has somewhat weakened the South African line-up but Captain Marcos Ondruska and his team remain upbeat about their chances at home this weekend. “We can’t rely on Kevin and Raven due to their schedules. I have a young and enthusiastic team that are totally committed to their country and as new Davis Cup Captain I will be focusing on building the future of Davis Cup with these ‘young guns’ ” said Ondruska.

Ondruska named Dean O’Brien and Ruan Roelofse as his doubles team for the 12 noon Saturday rubber. They will play Mike Scheidweiler and Ugo Nastasi.
“I see this as an opportunity to nail down the tie in the doubles match on Saturday,” said O’Brien. “Hopefully by the time Ruan and I play the doubles South Africa will be leading so that we can sew up the result before the start of Sunday’s reverse singles.”
O’Brien is South Africa’s third highest ranked player at 124 on the world doubles ranking after Klaasen and Anderson and has enjoyed a successful run with Roelofse (ranked 130) on the ATP Tour.

The playing programme;
Friday singles (start 10h00 – after the official opening ceremony at 09h45): Tucker Vorster (RSA) vs Alex Knaff (Lux) followed by Lloyd Harris (RSA) vs. Ugo Nastasi (Lux),
Saturday doubles (start 12h00): Dean O’Brien (RSA) and Ruan Roelofse (RSA) vs. Mike Scheidweiler (Lux) and Ugo Nastasi (Lux).
Sunday reverse singles (10h00): Tucker Vorster (RSA) vs. Ugo Nastasi (Lux), Lloyd Harris (RSA) vs. Alex Knaff (Lux).

Teams
South Africa: Tucker Vorster, Lloyd Harris, Dean O’Brien and Ruan Roelofse. Captain: Marcos Ondruska
Luxembourg: Ugo Nastasi, Alex Knaff, Mike Scheidweiler and Tom Diederich. Captain: Johny Goudenbour

Pretoria, South Africa - It seems that Davis Cup team mates Tucker Vorster and Lloyd Harris planned a similar day at the Irene Country Club in Pretoria on Friday.

The South African number one and two players won their respective singles matches with the identical score over their Luxembourger opponents to give their country a 2-0 lead after day one.

It was a dream start for the hosts in their Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Euro/Africa Group 2 first round tie and for debutant Captain Marcos Ondruska. Ondruska said he was pleased with his players performances. “Tucker and Lloyd impressed in very tricky conditions. And I have always said that the true character of the players comes out in the tricky situations and both passed with flying colours. We don’t want to get too excited and ahead of ourselves but this is a dream start. There is still a lot of tennis to be played over the next two days and the doubles rubber tomorrow is key. We will go all out to seal the victory tomorrow.”

Vorster opened up for South Africa and admittedly by Vorster himself he didn’t play his best tennis but played well enough to beat Alex Knaff 6-1 6-4 6-4 in two hours thirteen minutes. “The conditions were tough but I kept a good attitude throughout and felt I was very competitive which carried me through. It’s always special to play at home in front of my family and friends and I hope more fans come out to support our team this weekend.”

It was then the turn of 19 year old Lloyd Harris of Cape Town to make his Davis Cup debut for South Africa. Harris impressed first time out as he upset his Luxembourg number one opponent Ugo Nastasi with the identical score of his team mate, 6-1 6-4 6-4 however in a lesser time of one hour fourty two minutes. I fist pump to his teammates on clinching match point showed the importance of the win to Harris.
“Today’s win will certainly go down as one of the highlights of my young career. I felt I played well and controlled the match from the start. My good form of late continues and hopefully will get better on Sunday.”

The heat was on at a whopping 36C and the on court temperature some several degrees higher and this certainly effected the Luxembourgers admitted their Captain Johny Goudenbour. “It was very hot out there and the balls were flying. The hotter it got the faster the balls moved and it was real difficult for my players under these conditions.”

On Saturday the doubles rubber which starts at 12 noon will see South Africans Dean O’Brien and Ruan Roelofse up against Ugo Nastasi and Mike Scheidweiler of Luxembourg.

Tickets to the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Euro/Africa Zone Group 2 South Africa vs Luxembourg tie are available at R100.00 per person and at R250 for a season ticket (three day ticket) via Webtickets.co.za and instore at Pick n Pay’s with Money Counters

Order of Play/Results

Friday 4 March 2016 (10h00)
Tucker Vorster (RSA) bt Alex Knaff (Lux) 6-1 6-4 6-4
Lloyd Harris vs. Ugo Nastasi (Lux) 6-1 6-4 6-4