Johannesburg, South Africa – Tennis South Africa (TSA) has announced on Thursday that Earl Grainger has stepped down from his position as Fed Cup Captain. Grainger’s current term as Captain finished at the end of the recent Fed Cup event in April, and Grainger, in consultation with TSA, has decided to bring his tenure to an end.
Grainger said: “It was a very difficult decision to make, but I do believe the time is right to step away from the role. The Fed Cup team needs a fresh start as it enters into a long term rebuilding phase. While this year’s results were disappointing, I am proud of my overall efforts as Captain. I depart the position on good terms with Tennis South Africa – indeed there is fresh energy and direction at the Federation and I am fully intending to remain involved by helping to improve high performance tennis in the country.”
Grainger was appointed as Fed Cup Captain in 2014 and in 2015 he also stepped in as interim Davis Cup Captain. Unfortunately 2017 was a difficult year for the SA Fed Cup team, as they were relegated to Europe/Africa Zone Group III, after a challenging tournament in Lithuania in April.
Gavin Crookes, President of TSA commented: “We would like to thank Earl for his dedicated service to TSA– as both Fed Cup Captain, as well as interim Davis Cup Captain. He has brought a huge amount of passion to his position and has a good track-record at international level.”
Richard Glover, CEO of TSA, commented: “Although we have not worked together long, I have built up a very positive relationship with Earl. He is an asset to tennis and will continue to make a strong contribution to TSA, through his ongoing involvement with our High Performance Task Force.”
Grainger is one of the most high profile and successful tennis coaches in the country. Players who have made their names at his Johannesburg based academy, include Davis Cup members, Dean O’Brien and Ruan Roelofse, as well as Fed Cup players, Chanel Simmonds and Natasha Fourouclas.

TSA will announce the way forward on the Fed Cup in due course.
TSA also recently revealed that it was launching a Women’s Tennis Task Force to make recommendations as to how TSA can rebuild the women’s game in the country. The Task Force meets for the first time later this month and the mandate and members of the group will be announced in the coming weeks.

Johannesburg, South Africa – The South Africa’s girls under 12 junior tennis team qualified for the year end African Junior Championships when they upset more favoured countries during the Southern African Junior Championships played in Antananarivo, Madagascar this past week. More impressively was that it was the first time the team have competed on clay.

The girls team comprised of Kaitlyn Rumduth of Durban, Nadia Gouws and Carle Botha both of Pretoria

After clinching the title against top seeds, Madagascar 2-1, the South Africans qualified to compete in the continents final event in the first week of September in Morocco

Team coach Terrey Schweitzer was thrilled by the overall performance. “Our girls worked extremely hard on our first practice day to get used to playing and moving around on clay for the first time and adapted well all week to playing on the surface.”

Carle Botha opened for South Africa winning singles in a strenuous 7-6(11) 2-6 7-5 against Maholy Razakaniaina of Madagascar. Nadia Gouws then won her singles 6-7 (2) 6-4 6-1 against Miotisoa Rasendra of Madagascar. Unfortunately Kaitlyn Rumduth and Carle Botha then lost the dead doubles match 0-6 4-6 to Madagascar’s pair Maholy Razakaniaina and Randy Rakotoarilala.

The South Africa’s boys under 12 failed to qualify for the year end African Junior Championships after coming out fourth in the overall performance

Southern African Junior Teams Championships Final standings;

Boys
1. Madagascar
2. Zimbabwe
3. Botswana
4. South Africa
5. Mauritius

Girls
1. South Africa
2. Madagascar
3. Zimbabwe
4. Botswana

Johannesburg, South Africa – TSA recently held a productive board meeting, where a number of important decisions were made, that will directly impact on many facets of the game in South Africa.

The board has approved the first draft of the transformation and development policy and charter, subject to feedback and consultation with key stakeholders. TSA have confirmed that both the charter and policy will be made available to the public through the official TSA website later this week, for review and comment.

The board has also agreed that TSA will enter both the 2018 Davis Cup and Fed Cup competitions. The TSA head office will consult with both the High Performance Task Force and the Women’s Tennis Task Force about the strategy for Fed Cup, however the Board’s collective view is that it should take a long term, developmental approach to the Fed Cup - with a focus on developing and preparing the next generation of female stars - especially those aged 18 and under. Meanwhile, the interview process (and timeline) for the selection of the new Fed Cup Captain will be communicated in due course.
The board has given TSA head office the go ahead to work through a number of potential changes to the 2018 tournament calendar - including, re-looking at the scheduling of Junior Tournaments, with a view to preventing the over-playing of our top junior players. This calendar project will include a process of consultation with Provinces and other key stakeholders.
The proposed new Selection Criteria Framework for the selection of junior national teams has also been approved by the board. The new Selection Criteria Framework comes into effect with immediate effect and is available for review on the TSA website. The board has also approved the new process (and criteria) for appointing a new Junior National Selectors panel.
Finally, the board has appointed a Task Force to finalise a new constitution for the Federation. The intention is to submit a new constitution, for ratification, at the 2017 Annual General Meeting (AGM) – which is provisionally scheduled to take place in September 2017.

Johannesburg, South Africa – Netball South Africa (NSA) has issued the following statement about allegations of financial mismanagement reported by the SABC and a Sunday newspaper:
“Netball South Africa has taken note of reports by the SABC and a Sunday newspaper of financial mismanagement within NSA.
“NSA rejects the allegations and is willing to cooperate fully with any inquiry into its financial affairs.
“NSA has referred the allegations to its lawyers and is taking legal action.”
Further NSA confirmed that they would be meeting with SASCOC President, Gideon Sam on Tuesday to discuss the allegations.

Gaborone, Botswana – The SPAR Baby Proteas got their Netball World Youth Cup campaign in Gaborone off to the best possible start on Saturday, with a crushing 62-30 win over Barbados.

Dorette Badenhorst’s team showed their intent from the start, racing to a nine-goal lead at the end of the first quarter. By halftime, the SPAR Baby Proteas were ahead by 33 to 14. With a substantial lead, Badenhorst was able to bring on her bench players after the break.

Barbados fought back in the third quarter, restricting South Africa to 12 goals and scoring 11 - their highest total in the match, but it was back to normal service in the final quarter, with the South Africans outscoring the islanders by 17 goals to 5.

The South African attack was in good form and the defenders were very effective, particularly in the circle. Badenhorst was delighted with the result.

“It’s a great start and a confidence booster for the rest of the tournament, ” she said. “We didn’t know much about Barbados, but they came seventh at the last Youth World Cup, so I expected a harder fight.

“Our girls showed a lot of character, and I am very proud of them. It is always good to start with a win and we are very excited about the rest of the tournament.”

Botswana, Gaborone – The SPAR Baby Proteas overcame a feisty Zimbabwe to record their second victory at the World Netball Youth Cup in Gaborone, Botswana, on Sunday. They beat their northern neighbours 56-42 after leading 28-22 at halftime.

Zimbabwe came storming out and went into an early lead, leaving the South Africans slightly shell-shocked. But by the middle of the first quarter, the SPAR Baby Proteas had eased past them to lead by 14 goals to 10 at the first break.

The match was very physical, and supporters of both teams got into the spirit of things, chanting slogans and blowing vuvuzelas.

The second quarter was fairly even, with neither side able to dominate. They generally managed to hold their centre passes, but both teams achieved some excellent turnovers, with the ball moving from end to end.

In the third quarter, Zimbabwe managed to reduce the goal deficit to two, before SPAR Baby Proteas clawed their way back into the game and extended the margin to six goals.

However, the Zimbabweans appeared to wilt in the final quarter, as SPAR Baby Proteas took control of the court. The Zimbabwean coach brought on a string of substitutes to provide fresh legs, but by this time the SPAR Baby Proteas had surged ahead, leaving Zimbabwe with too much to do.

SPAR Baby Proteas coach, Dorette Badenhorst said she had expected a tough and very physical match and had selected her team accordingly.

“We played them in the qualifiers and I knew what to expect, so I chose players who were able to stand up to the physicality,” she said.

“I am very pleased we have a day off tomorrow so we can recover and prepare for our matches against Singapore and Australia on Tuesday and Wednesday.”

Pretoria, South Africa - Kesa Moletsane and current title holder Irvette van Zyl are locked in a titanic struggle to win the 2017 SPAR Grand Prix and the generous R173 000 prize.

With four races completed, and two to go, Moletsane has 107 points, giving her a 19-point lead over Van Zyl, who has 88 points.
Van Zyl won the Pretoria race on Saturday in 34.36 minutes, while Moletsane finished third, behind Nolene Conrad. All three earned 10 bonus points for finishing within the target time set by the race organisers.

Moletsane won the Port Elizabeth race and finished second in Durban. She has also been declared the winner of the Cape Town race, after the winner, Louisa Leballo, was removed from the Grand Prix standings because she failed an out-of-competition dope test on March 20. Leballo has been banned for eight years, and her SPAR Challenge results were nullified because she failed the test before the start of this year’s Challenge series.

Van Zyl was elevated to second place in Cape Town, and finished second in Port Elizabeth. However, she had to drop out of the Durban race because of an injury.
Conrad was sixth in Cape Town, fourth in Port Elizabeth and eighth in Durban, proving that runners can do well in the Grand Prix if their results are consistent.

“Louisa being banned doesn’t really affect the Grand Prix,” said Van Zyl.
“It just means that Kesa and I get an extra point each. I haven’t given up on winning the Grand Prix this year. I won it last year, despite not being able to run the Pretoria race because I was injured,” said Van Zyl.
The three-times Grand Prix winner said she had set her sights on doing well in the two remaining Challenge races, in Pietermaritzburg on August 20 and in Johannesburg on October 8.

“And I am also training for the Cape Town Marathon on September 17,” said Van Zyl.
Moletsane, who is running in the SPAR Challenge Series for the first time this year, said she was determined to stay ahead of the pack in the race for the Grand Prix title.

“I am enjoying running on the road instead of the track, and I would like to cap my year with the Grand Prix title,” she said.
In the club competition, Moletsane and Conrad’s club, KPMG, has stretched its lead over Van Zyl’s club, Nedbank, from eight points to 91. KPMG have 441 points, and Nedbank 350. Boxer are in third position, with 314 points.

Durban, South Africa - KwaZulu Natal (KZN) came close to causing the first upset at the SPAR national netball championships at Hoy Park on Monday.
North West pulled out the stops in the final quarter to beat KZN 40-35, and retain their status as one of the teams to beat at the tournament. KZN won the first quarter by one goal (12-11), but North West fought back in the second quarter to lead 22-18 at halftime. The coastal team came back strongly, outscoring North West 10-6 in the third quarter, before North West clinched matters in the final 15 minutes.

Most of the top teams have been hard hit by the absence of their SPAR Proteas, who are not playing in the tournament, and KZN and North West were both affected.
The match was hard and very physical, and North West captain Chante Bester said it had been an ideal start to their campaign.
“We knew it was going to be very physical, so we were prepared for that. We didn’t expect it to be such a close game, though,” she said.
“But a hard game like this sets us up for the matches to come.”
Coach Dorette Badenhorst agreed.
“They really pushed us,” she said.

“I didn’t expect us to be level on 28-all after the third quarter. But the important thing was they stepped up and did everything they needed to do to win the match.”
She said she had some young players in the team who were still finding their feet at the senior level, but she was happy with the way they were responding.
“We had a very inexperienced goal circle, but goalshooter Anje Esterhuizen and Melandi Pretorius did well. It is very important for the more experienced players to back them up and give them the confidence to do their best.”

Last year’s runners-up, Free State, made short work of Eastern Cape, beating them 55-27, after leading 30-17 at halftime.
Free State coach Burta de Kock said she was pleased to have been able to play all 12 members of the team.

“We have to get used to being without some of our stars, like goal defender Karla Mostert and so we need to develop the younger players,” she said.
“We’ll be without Karla again next year, because she has signed for another year with the Sunshine Coast Lightings in the Australian Super league. But I am happy that we have the players to take over from the senior stars.”

In other A-section matches played on Monday, the defending champions, Western Cape thrashed Mpumalanga 58-17 and Gauteng beat Northern Cape 49-28.

Durban, South Africa - Western Cape continued their campaign to defend the title they won last year with two victories on the second day of the SPAR National Netball Championships at Hoy Park Sports Complex in Durban on Tuesday.

They had a very comfortable win over Eastern Cape in their morning match, beating their neighbours 73-10. The victory was no surprise and Western Cape dominated throughout the match.

Their second match, against North West, was much tougher. The two top four teams were neck and neck early in the match, and at the end of the first quarter, were level on 11-each. Both teams included some untried players in the place of their SPAR Proteas, who are not playing in the tournament, as well as players who have moved to other provinces, but in the end it was Western Cape that prevailed. At halftime, they were 21-18 ahead, and they led 32-28 at the end of the third quarter. The coastal team then pulled out all the stops and won the match 43-34.

Coach Annelie Lucas said she had expected a tough match, and was slightly surprised at the final goal difference.

“At the start of the first quarter, I told them to watch what the North West players were doing, and then we worked out our strategy accordingly,” she said.

“I knew they had new shooters and I believe we have the best defenders in the country. They turn a lot of balls and that gives us a chance.

“Our defenders did their work and we gradually gained control of the game.”
Western Cape have their toughest match so far on Wednesday, against Gauteng, and Lucas said they would prepare carefully for that encounter.

“What we need is patience and accurate shooters, and I believe that will help us to win that match.”
Gauteng also won both their matches on Tuesday, beating Kwa-Zulu Natal 47-29 and Eastern Cape 46-26. Coach Jenny van Dyk said she was very happy with her team’s performance so far.

“The absence of our Proteas means we can test our depth and give opportunities to untried players,” she said.
“We had a very physical match against KZN, but our defenders were very good and that helped us.
“If we can play consistent netball, I believe we can win the title,” said Van Dyk.

In other matches played on Tuesday, Free State also won both their matches, beating Mpumalanga 46-26 and Northern Cape 66-14. North West won their morning match, beating Northern Cape 53-27. Kwa-Zulu Natal beat Mpumalanga 37-34.

Johannesburg, South Africa – South Africa’s premier men’s and women’s club tennis league, the Dunlop Bundes League will return to Ellis Park in Johannesburg this weekend.

The premier league hosted by the Gauteng Central Tennis Association was last played at Ellis Park the “grand old lady of tennis” three years ago. In its 22 years of existence, the Dunlop Premier League has always had its home at Ellis Park but for the past three years different clubs in the greater Johannesburg area have been given the opportunity to host the league.

The provinces top six men’s and women’s teams will compete for title honours each Saturday afternoon from 12 August to 9 September. The league is run on a Round-Robin basis over the five weekends.

The 6 participating men’s teams are:

Marks Park A; Wanderers A; Fairland A; Bedfordview A; Old Edwardians A and Randburg A

The 6 participating women’s teams are:

Bryanston A; Rivonia A; Randburg A; Old Edwardians A; Boskruin A; Marks Park A

Last year’s runner-up, Marks Park A are seen to be men’s title favourites with 2016 champions Bryanston deciding to not defend their title due to a contractual dispute with
Gauteng Central Tennis Association. Wanderers A are earmarked as possible dark horses this year.
In the women’s league, Bryanston A would appear favourites to repeat their victory in 2016. However age and injury might play a role in opening the door to the experienced Marks Park A side or even the youthful exuberance of Observatory A.
With the possibility of rising stars like Bertus Kruger and Richard Thongoana, both Junior Davis Cup players participating and former National Champion Bradwin Williams in action the
Dunlop Bundes League is sure to live up to its billing of the country’s premier club tennis league.

Durban, South Africa - Gauteng remained unbeaten at the end of the round robin section of the SPAR National Netball Championships at Hoy Park with a 45-25 victory over Mpumalanga on Friday.

The match against one of the weaker teams gave Gauteng coach Jenny van Dyk the opportunity to give some of her bench players a run and to rest critical players ahead of the final against defending champions Western Cape on Saturday. The match against was by no means a walkover as the Mpumalanga defense was tight and the Gauteng shooters had to fight hard to score.

Van Dyk said afterwards she was pleased with the way the tournament had progressed and Friday’s match had been a good workout ahead of the final.
“We’ve been preparing for the final since Day One, working on our tactics and strategies,” she said.

“I took pages of notes during our match against Western Cape yesterday, and we will spend some time seeing where we did not execute our game plan. But it will all depend on the quality of decision-making on the court tomorrow. I can do as much as I can to prepare them, but it is down to the players on the court.”
Western Cape breezed past Northern Cape, beating them 69-12.

“It was a nice relaxed game, and we are going to relax today,” said coach Annelie Lucas.

“The girls are going to the beach this afternoon and they are not going to think about netball. They know what they have to do tomorrow. I have a few options up my sleeve. What we are going to focus on is a tight defense and the need to get the ball into the circle so that our shooters can score goals.”

North West thumped Eastern Cape 57-15 to finish the tournament in fourth position, while last year’s finalists, Free State beat KwaZulu Natal 50-39. They clinched the bronze medal when they beat North West 35-28 on Thursday.

Durban, South Africa - Gauteng squeaked home by one goal after extra time to beat the defending champions, Western Cape and win the 2017 SPAR National Netball Championships 47-46 in a thrilling final at Hoy Park on Saturday.

Gauteng were four goals up after the first few minutes, but Western Cape responded with a flurry of seven unanswered goals.
The lead changed hands frequently during the match as the game swept up and down the court. At the end of the first quarter, Western Cape were 10-8 up, but Gauteng won the second quarter, which ended 19-all. After the third quarter, Western Cape led 31-30. Both teams played their hearts out in the final quarter. At one stage, with less than four minutes to go, Gauteng had a lead of five goals, but Western Cape coach Annelie Lucas brought her star shooter, Jambaye “Bakie” Zauana, back on, and Western Cape clawed their way back to level the scores on 40-all. With the seconds ticking away, Gauteng captain Chante Louw, tried to score the winning goal, but the ball rolled round the ring and dropped off the wrong side.

The game went into extra time. The crowd got involved, cheering their favourites on, singing and dancing. After the first seven minutes of extra time, Western Cape had a 44-42 lead. In the final seven minutes, fortunes swung both ways, with first one team, then the other, getting the upper hand. With less than a minute to go, Gauteng scored, to take the score to 47-46. Western Cape had the next centre pass and tried to level the score again, but the shot at goal missed and the Gauteng players jumped for joy.

It was a worthy final after a week of exciting netball. Gauteng were unbeaten, although they drew with North West during the round robin phase. Western Cape lost only two matches, both of them to Gauteng.

Gauteng Coach Jenny van Dyk said they had been preparing for the final since last year.
“We trained at the hottest time of the day, and we put them under pressure. Decision-making under pressure is the key to winning big matches,” she said.
“When things were getting tight, I told them to settle down and make matters simple – to take the ball with both hands and to keep calm.
Earlier, North West won the Under-21 final, beating Gauteng 44-36. It was the third year in a row that North West won the title.

Chante Louw was named shooter of the tournament. Rome Dreyer of North West was named the best centre court player, Jessica Khomo of KwaZulu Natal the best defender, and Shadine van der Merwe of Western Cape the best overall player.

Johannesburg, South Africa - Head coach of the SPAR National Netball team Elsje Jordaan says she is excited about the makeup of the team selected for the Fast5 World Series to be played in Melbourne, Australia, at the end of October.
“Last year, Netball South Africa (NSA) chose a young squad, to give some of our rising stars a taste of international netball,” said Jordaan.
“But we have seen that countries like England and Australia are sending their best possible teams, so this year we have opted for more experience and a better balanced squad,” she said.
“All the members of the Fast5 team are in the SPAR national training squad, except for Lauren-Lee Christians, who is recovering from injury. But Lauren-Lee did a very good job as captain last year, and so I have chosen her to captain the side again, to provide some continuity from last year.”
Jordaan said she had a better-balanced team than in 2016.
“Last year, we didn’t have specialist goal attacks, whereas this year we have two, in Maryke Holtzhausen and Renske Stoltz. Maryke brings so much to the team, with all her experience and her exceptional talent. Renske hasn’t been to the Fast5 World Series before, but she has international experience, and she and Phumza Maweni have been invited to play in a Fast5 tournament in England next month,” she said.
“This will be a massive benefit for us, because they will learn a lot there and will be able to pass that on to their teammates.”
She said she had taken too many centre court players to the Fast5 last year.
“There is no point in taking players who normally play wing attack or wing defence,” said Jordaan.
“A Fast5 team is made up of goalshooter, goal attack, centre, goal defence and goalkeeper. If you take centre court players, they will be playing out of their comfort zones and will be less effective, so we have picked two very good centres in Lauren-Lee and Rome Dreyer.”
The Fast5 team was named after the SPAR National Netball Championships played in Durban last week. The selectors also named a youth squad and added four names to the SPAR training squad. These players are Tshina Mdau, Jessica Khomo, Kgomotso Itlhabanyeng and Nobubele Phuza.

SPAR Fast5 squad: Deanke Rohde (Gauteng), Maryke Holtzhausen (Free State), Renske Stoltz (Gauteng), Charmaine Baard (Western Cape0, Rome Dreyer (North West), Lauren-Lee Christians (Eastern Cape), Phumza Maweni (Western Cape), Fikile Mkhuzangwe (North West), Jessica Khomo (KwaZulu Natal), Zanne-Marie Pienaar (Gauteng)
Non-travelling reserves: Talja Venter (Western Cape),Tshina Mdau (Gauteng), Shadine van der Merwe (Gauteng).

Pretoria, South Africa – The Danish Tennis Federation (DTF) announced Wednesday that the Ceres Arena in Aarhus, Denmark would be the venue for the all-important upcoming Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Group 2 third round tie between Denmark and South Africa.

The promotional playoff tie will be played from 15th-17th September 2017

The winner of the tie will be promoted to Euro Africa Group 1. Denmark are seeded 4 and South Africa seeded 8 in Group 2. The two countries have met five times before with South Africa leading head to head 3-2 and South Africa winning the only indoor tie in 2003 in Bronby, Denmark.

It was also confirmed that the surface chosen by the hosts would be indoor hardcourt (Rebound Ace Synpave).

Director of DTF, Klaus Norby Jakobsen, said he was pleased with the agreement to bring the Davis Cup to Aarhus: “We are looking forward to hosting South Africa in yet another tennis festival in Aarhus. We have a very good cooperation with Aarhus Municipality, and we hope that together with the clubs in Aarhus and surrounding areas we can create the best experience for the teams and the public. There is no doubt that Ceres Arena have all the fundamentals for the tie to be successful.”

The municipality of Aarhus also looks forward to hosting the Davis Cup again: “I am looking forward for the event to being hosted again in Aarhus. We have developed into a city where the experiences stands in line. It makes it very popular to visit Aarhus and, above all, live in. I am looking forward to giving the best of Denmark’s tennis enthusiasts, the best support and atmosphere.” said Rabih Azad, councilor for Culture and Citizenship.

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa - Kesa Molotsane (KPMG) virtually clinched the SPAR Grand Prix with a stunning win in the Pietermaritzburg SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge on Sunday.
She finished in 34.21 minutes. Rutendo Nyahora (Nedbank) was second in 34.44 and Irvette van Zyl (Nedbank) was third in 34.37.

This is the first time the Pietermaritzburg SPAR race has formed part of the Grand Prix series, so the route was unknown to many of the runners. It was a very hilly route, and the race was run on a chilly morning, with 4 500 runners taking part.

Van Zyl took the lead early on, followed closely by Lebogang Phalula, Nyahora and Molotsane. Van Zyl looked strong on the steep hills, but at about six kilometres, Molotsane made her move and caught up with her. Phalula dropped back, but the top three ran side by side. Molotsane, who is known for her amazing ‘kick’, left the other two and crossed the finish line looking as if she could run another 10 kilometres. The top three all earned bonus points for finishing inside the target time.

Phalula, who won the Pietermaritzburg race last year finished in 34.50 minutes.
“I love hills, and I really liked this route,” said Molotsane, who left almost immediately after the race to join her South African teammates at the World Student Games in Taipei, where she will compete in the 5000 metres event.

“I had to get special permission to stay behind to run this race, but it was very important to me,” she said.
Molotsane said her training for the track helped her to maintain speed on the road.

Nyahora, who ran the marathon in the World Athletics Championships in London two weeks ago, said that at four kilometres, she felt she had no strength left in her legs.
“But I just reminded myself that I wasn’t running a marathon and it was only a few kilometres to go. I tried to stay with Kesa, but she has such a strong kick. I am very happy with my race,” said Nyahora.
Van Zyl, who won the SPAR race in Pretoria two weeks ago, praised Molotsane and Nyahora.

“I tried my very best, but it wasn’t good enough today,” she said.
“Kesa was just too good. She ran an amazing race, and Rutendo was also amazing, just two weeks after running a marathon. I just didn’t have the strength in my legs to stay ahead.”
The final leg of the SPAR Challenge series takes place at Marks Park in Johannesburg on October 8.

SPARWOMEN’S 10 KMCHALLENGERESULTS

Results of the SPAR Women’s 10km Challenge run at the Pietermaritzburg Oval on Sunday

Senior
1. Kesa Molotsane (KPMG) 34.21; 2 Rutendo Nyahora (Nedbank) 34.34; 3. Irvette van Zyl (Nedbank0 34.37; 4 Lebogang Phalula (Boxer) 34.50; 5. Bertha Chikanga (Maxed Elite) 34.58; 6. Maria Shai (Boxer) 35.02; 7. Glenrose Xaba (Boxer) 35.05; 8.. Nolene Conrad (KPMG) 35.11; 9. Nicole Louw (KPMG) 35.23; 10 Rudo Mhonderwa (Nedbank Zimbabwe)

Junior
1. Nicole Louw (KPMG) 35.23; 2. Shanley Koekemoer (KPMG) 37.27; 3. Lyndi Roelofse (Boxer) 37.44

35-39
1. Jane Grundling (Boxer) 37.22; 2. Makhosi Mhlongo (32 Gi0 37.41; 3. Fikile Mbuthuma (Nedbank) 39.02

40-49
1. Tanith Maxwell (Boxer) 37.56; 2. Janene Carey (Boxer) 39.55; 3. Delia Jay (Dolphin Coast Striders) 44.40

50-59
1. Judy Bird (KPMG) 39.54; 2. Grace de Oliveira (Boxer) 44.10; 3. Gail Babich (Savages Athletics Club) 46.47

60-69
1. Blanche Moila (Savages Athletics Club) 49.19; 2. Sonja Laxton (RAC) 50.34; 3. Jenny Taylor (Saints Athletics Club) 51.13

70 +
1. Gill Tregenna (Westville Athletics Club) 59.22

Pretoria, South Africa – The cream of South African junior tennis will battle for Masters honours in Potchefstroom this coming weekend.

The Growthpoint Junior Masters will be played from Friday 13 October to Sunday 15 October at the Riaan Venter Tennis Academy on the University of NWP-PUKKE Campus.

The tournament will be for the top boys and girls according to the national Tennis South Africa (TSA) rankings in the under 12, 14, 16 and 18 age groups. In the under 12 and 14 age groups, there will be 12 direct acceptances, with 4 TSA invitational spots. In the under 16 and 18 age groups, there will be 6 direct acceptances, with 2 TSA invitational spots.

The singles only event will be played on a round-robin basis for Friday and Saturday morning, with the semi-finals on Saturday afternoon and finals on Sunday morning.

All eyes will be on top seed in the boys’ under 18, Philip Henning of Bloemfontein. The 16-year-old is one of the brightest prospects in South African tennis and is the reigning 2017 TSA Junior Nationals champion. The Grey College learner recently won back-to-back Curro Junior ITF tournaments in Stellenbosch.

In the girls’ under 18, tournament favourite is Gauteng Central’s Maja Gledic who reached the TSA Junior Nationals finals earlier this year. Gledic, won The Wanderers Junior ITF in July this year.

Favoured in the girls’ under 16 is Myah Petchey of Western Province. Petchey won her first ITF title at the same venue as the Growthpoint Junior Masters earlier this year, so Potchefstroom is a happy hunting ground for the Capetonian. In the same age group, boys’ top seed is ITF/CAT African Junior Champion, Pierre Malan, also of Western Province.

The full list of players who have qualified are as follows;

Boys
Under 12
Group 1
1-Jordan Georgiev (GC)
Cornel Liebenberg (FS)
Caleb Fyvie (KZN)
Drikus De Jager (EDEN)

Group 2
2-John Coetzee (BOL)
Joshua Kleynhans (BOR)
Brandon Rieseberg (EP)
Joshua Tromp (GC)

Group 3
3-Kyle Erwee (GN)
Connor Doig (GC)
Jake Downie (BOL)
Leo Matthysen (WP)

Group 4
4-Guy Vorwerk (KZN)
Imaad Lorgat (WP)
Jandre Viljoen (GN)
Franswillem Van der Merwe (BOL)

Group 14
Box 1
1-Devin Badenhorst (GN)
Alexander Edley (KZN)
Marnus Oosthuizen (EDEN)
Gerard Henning (FS)

Group 2
2-Connor Kruger (GN)
Daniel Wessels (EDEN)
Anro Nel (BOL)
Mikaeel Woodman (WP)

Group 3
3-Andreas Scott (GC)
Luc Koenig (KZN)
James Edley (KZN)
Rohan Loubser (WP)

Group 4
4-Carl Roothman (BOL)
Stephan Viljoen (NC)
William Zulch (BOL)
Jordan Gancho (GN)

Under 16
Group 1
1-Pierre Malan (WP)
Joubert Klopper (FS)
Kade Mindry (KZN)
Robbie Arends (WP)

Group 2
2-Charl Morgan (GC)
Kholo Montsi (GN)
Victor Putter (GN)
Alec Beckley (GC)

Under 18
Group 1
1-Philip Henning (FS)
Gerhard Swart (GN)
Siphos Montsi (GN)
Marno Stander (WP)

Group 2
2-Christiaan Worst (GN)
Justin Liebenberg (GC)
Andre Snyman (GN)
Ryan Little (BOR)

Girls
Under 12
Group 1
1-Carle Botha (GN)
Hailey Troup (WP)
Korona Rugara (GC)
Leane Engelbrecht (EP)

Group 2
2-Nadia Gouws (GN)
Janke Viljoen (BOL)
Kaitlyn Ramduth (KZN)
Wilmien Voz (BOL)

Group 3
3-Anke Heyns (FS)
Anna Wise (KZN)
Leila Nel (EP)
Lilitha Ndungane (GC)

Group 4
4-Carli Kruger (FS)
Mikayla Faure (GN)
MariLouise Van Zyl (NWP)
Tayla Wilmot (GE)

Under 14
Group 1
1-Kelly Arends (WP)
Polia Gizdova (GC)
Cayline Le Grange (FS)
Lenka Steenkamp (BOL)

Group 2
2-Christine Kruger (FS)
Suzanie Pretorius (FS)
Anelma Grobler (BOL)
Sarah Millard (GC)

Group 3
3-Kylie Midorp (KZN)
Line Greyling (FS)
Mikayla Plitt (GE)
Naledi Manyube (EDEN)

Group 4
4-Mienke Viljoen (BOL)
Ine Lamprecht (GN)
Kristen Fichardt (FS)
Heike Janse Van Vuuren (EDEN)

Under 16
Group 1
1-Myah Petchey (WP)
Linge Steenkamp (FS)
Megan Basson (GC)
Ntokozo Zungu (GC)

Group 2
2-Delien Kleinhans (FS)
Marne Dercksen (FS)
Jessica Portwig (GC)
Bianca Wolmarans (WP)

Under 18
Group 1
1-Maja Gledic (GC)
Lize-Alet Morkel (BOL)
Megan Lombardi (BOL)
Samantha Muller (GC)

Group 2
2-Kaylin Bouwer (EP)
Angela Georgieva (GC)
Corin De Waal (BOL)
Alexis Tensfeldt (GC)

Pretoria, South Africa – Tennis South Africa (TSA) has unveiled an exciting new partnership with Brand ID Ignite, the South African licensee and distributor of Dunlop tennis balls, that will see Dunlop become a key sponsor for selected TSA tournaments, junior national squad training camps and the new TSA Growthpoint Development Centres.

The two-year partnership, that commences with immediate effect, will see Dunlop become the official ball sponsor for the following TSA events and projects:

• All Growthpoint Junior events (including Masters and Nationals).
• The new Growthpoint Top Guns national club event.
• Senior (Veterans) nationals.
• Junior National Squad training camps: 3-4 per year.
• TSA Growthpoint Development Centres: Launching from late October onwards.

The sponsorship is the result of a tender that TSA ran earlier this year, in which local tennis ball suppliers, with ITF approved tennis balls, were invited to tender for the partnership.

Richard Glover, CEO of TSA said: “This is another exciting partnership for TSA that will help us deliver on our ambitious growth plan for tennis. We were impressed with the commercial terms offered by Brand ID, but were equally impressed with their vision for investing and growing our sport in South Africa - across juniors, clubs and the critical transformation and development space.”

Jon Haughton, Dunlop Brand Manager said that Dunlop, one of the leading tennis brands not only in South Africa but globally were committed to the development of the game, “Dunlop has a long history with tennis and takes pride in its quality and innovative products. The Dunlop ball is the leading tennis ball in the country and world, so it made perfect sense for Dunlop to partner with TSA with aim to create a top class junior tennis product in the country which would in turn assist TSA with their aims and objectives in developing the game and creating more Wayne Ferreira and Kevin Anderson prodigies, both of whom are proud Dunlop ambassadors.”

• Tennis development given a major boost in Potchefstroom

Potchefstroom, South Africa – The future of South African tennis looks promising after a top display of tennis was on show at the inagural Growthpoint Junior Masters which ended at the Riaan Venter Tennis Academy on the NWU-PUKKE camps in Potchefstroom on Sunday.

There was also a boost for tennis transformation when Kholo Montsi of Pretoria and Kelly Arends of Cape Town won their respective titles in the under 16 and under 14 age groups.

Fourth seeded Montsi needed two sets to beat Robbie Arendse of Western Province, 6-2 6-4 in his under 16 final whilst Robbie’s younger sister Kelly lost only two games in trouncing Christine Kruger of Free State 6-1 6-1 in her under 14 final. Kelly was in fine form having not lost a set throughout the tournament.

Boland’s Carl Roothman, the boys under 14 fourth seed upset top seed Devan Badenhorst of Gauteng North 6-0 7-5 in his final.

Delien Kleinhans of Free State made an impressive comeback to tournament play after a string of injuries when she shocked top seeded Myah Petchey of Western Province 6-1 6-1 in the under 16 girls final.

The under 18 boys singles went to the inform Phillip Henning of Free State. Tournament favourite Henning was too strong for Siphos Montsi of Gauteng North winning 6-3 6-2. This is the eighth tournament on the trot that the 17-year-old Henning has won. Henning captured six back-to-back international junior titles, the South African Junior Nationals and this weekend’s Masters title.

The girls under 18 final went to Lize-Alet Morkel who needed three sets to beat Megan Lombardi 6-1 6-7 (5) 6-1 in the all Boland final.

The boys and girls under 12 titles were won by Jordan Georgiev of Gauteng Central and Mikayla Faure of Gauteng North respectively.

Potchefstroom, South Africa – Tennis South Africa (TSA) announced their 2017/18 Junior National Squads at the players dinner of the Growthpoint Junior Masters in Potchefstroom on Saturday.

The squad will attend training camps over the next fourteen months around the country. The national teams will be selected from the players in these squads. The squads are as follows;

Boys
Under 12

1. Luke Bosman
2. Junior Chigariro
3. Johan Coetzee
4. Van Zyl Del Port
5. Willem de Waal
6. Jean du Toit
7. Lian du Toit
8. Stephan du Plooy
9. Jordan Georgiev
10. Pieter Kotze
11. Heinrich Krugmann
12. Johan Labuschange
13. Leo Matthysen
14. Dylan Morgan
15. Anathi Nofotyo
16. Divan Prinsloo
17. Ben Scholtz
18. Thando Tshili
19. Boitshepo Maake
20. Matthew Wilson

Under 14

1. Devin Badenhorst
2. John Coetzee
3. Kyle Erwee
4. Gerard Henning
5. Cornel Liebenberg
6. Imaad Lorgat
7. Rohan Loubser
8. Anro Nel
9. Marnus Oosthuizen
10. Stuart Van der Merwe

Under 16

1. Luc Koenig
2. Luan Krige
3. Connor Kruger
4. Kholo Montsi
5. Damien Nezar
6. Carl Roothman
7. Andreas Scott
8. Dylan Salton
9. Daniel Wessels
10. Mikaeel Woodman

Under 18

1. Robbie Arends
2. Philip Henning
3. Joubert Klopper
4. Justin Liebenberg
5. Thando Longwe-Smit
6. Pierre Malan
7. Charl Morgan
8. Victor Putter
9. Gergardt Swart
10. Christiaan Worst

Girls
Under 12

1. Anja Bezuidenhout
2. Ashton Cason
3. DanielleChapman
4. Luise Janse Van Rensburg
5. Celina Joseph
6. Carli Kruger
7. Donna Le Roux
8. Owethu Makhanya
9. Hanmare McAslin
10. Chante Mulder
11. Emma Olsen
12. Kaitlyn Rumduth
13. Korona Rugara
14. Nina Schimper
15. Jani Steyn
16. Alma Van Schalkwyk
17. Corne Van Schalkwyk
18. Rune Van Wyk
19. Mari-Louse Van Zyl
20. Amlia Van Zyl
21. Rebecca Widan
22. Nobuhle Zungu

Under 14

1. Carle Botha
2. Gabriella Broadfoot
3. Nadia Gouws
4. Line Greyling
5. Onke Heyns
6. Heike Janse Van Vuuren
7. Naledi Manyube
8. Lilitha Ndungane
9. Suzanie Pretorius
10. Janke Viljoen

Under 16

1. Kelly Arends
2. Megan Basson
3. Delien Kleinhans
4. Christine Kruger
5. Makayla Loubser
6. Jessica Portwig
7. Arista Siebrits
8. Lara Van der Merwe
9. Mienke Viljoen
10. Ntokozo Zungu

Under 18

1. Kaylin Bouwer
2. Marne Dercksen
3. Maja Gledic
4. Tamsin Hart
5. Neo Mafuyeka
6. Lize-Alet Morkel
7. Lungile Ntuli
8. Myah Petchey
9. Linge Steenkamp
10. Bianca Wolmarans
    

Pretoria, South Africa – South African tennis stars, Kevin Anderson and Raven Klaasen have received nominations in this year’s ATP World Tour Awards - presented by Moët & Chandon.

The candidates for the awards are the Top 25 players in the Emirates ATP Race To London and Top 15 teams in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London - as of 11 September 2017.

Nominated in the singles category is world number 16, Kevin Anderson, who’s in 12th place for the Emirates ATP Race To London. 31-year-old Anderson made history this year when he reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open, locking horns against world’s number one, Rafael Nadal. Anderson made appearances in two ATP quarter finals, one semi-final, and two finals (one of which was a grand slam). He also reached round of 16 at the Wimbledon Championship.

Meanwhile nominated in the doubles category, world number 19, Raven Klaasen, who celebrated his 35th birthday yesterday (Monday) – was also, together with his American partner Rajeev Ram, in good form this year. The pair made an impression in 2017, by making an appearance in five quarter final rounds of the ATP tournaments, two in the semi-finals, and four in the finals.

The tennis public can vote via: http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/atp-awards-2017-fans-favourite. Voting closes at 1.59am CAT on Tuesday, 7 November.