The South Africa’s girls Under-12 junior tennis team qualified for the year-end African Junior Championships when they upset better-favoured countries during the Southern African Junior Championships played in Antananarivo, Madagascar this past week.
More impressively, it was the first time that the team have competed on clay. The girls team comprised 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 continent’s 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 score 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 U12 failed to qualify for the year-end African Junior Championships after coming fourth in the overall standings.
Picture of the victorious girls (left to right): Carle Botha, Kaitlyn Rumduth, and Nadia Gouws courtesy of Tennis South Africa
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