Tennis delivers as boys bask in doubles gold glory

Tennis has added six medals to Team SA’s impressive tally at the Region 5 Games in Namibia. The squad brought home two gold, two silvers, and two bronzes at the Central Tennis Courts in Windhoek, writes Mark Lemke.

The pair of Bogdan Mandic and Simphiwe Ngwenya won gold in the boys doubles by defeating the Botswana duo of Mark Nawa and Seabo Saleshado, 6-4, 6-3.

:”I was nervous at the start but I tried to let myself play freely and enjoy the opportunity. I am very proud of our performance. We worked hard and I am so happy to have won the match,” Ngwenya said.

Mandic added: “I have not felt something like this before. It was a perfect way to pay off the hard work we put in throughout the tournament. I kept thinking of a quote my dad told me when I was growing up. The hardest road is to the final, the final is the part you have to enjoy. I lived by that on the court today and I enjoyed every moment of it.”

Dehan van Deventer faced the No2 seed from Botswana, Ntungamili Raguin, in the boys final. Van Deventer started off as though he had a flight home to catch, winning the first four games of the opening set. Raguin managed to claw it back to force a tie-break, which the Team SA star narrowly lost.

In the second set, Van Deventer was forced to retire due to illness. Although he had won the silver medal, he looked devastated coming off the court. He was immediately taken to a hospital to be checked. His courtside coach, Sabelo Mathebula, gave an update after he was sent for the check, “Dehan is okay. He recorded a high temperature and was having trouble breathing. His health is our priority and so we did not take any risks. I am proud of his tournament, beating the top seed in the semis and fighting hard in the final shows the talent he possesses. He will be back better in his next event.”

Jessica Schilz won silver in the girl’s singles after a hard-fought match with Zimbabwean gold medallist, Sasha Chimedza. Schilz said after the final. “I would like to congratulate Sasha. She is an amazing player and she deserves the win today. I believe I could have done better. I did not capitalise on my opportunities and I made some silly mistakes, but that’s how tennis goes sometimes. I am proud to have won silver for Team South Africa. It has been a privilege to represent my country and I am glad I have added to the loads of medals we have won elsewhere.”

Abigayel Vosloo won her match for bronze against Tadiwanashe Mauchi from Zimbabwe. She dominated the first set 6-1, lost the second 2-6, and the 6-1 win in the final set secured the third-place medal. “I lost my way in the second set, but I am very pleased I was able to take back control and end the singles with a medal for Team SA. This is a special achievement for me.”

Vosloo later teamed up with Milla Kotze to add another bronze in the girls doubles after beating Kudzai Chapepa and Tanyaradzwa Midzi from Zimbabwe. The match went the distance, however the South Africans clinched victory 2-6, 6-0, 10-7.

Kotze said of the doubles: “We had a bumpy start but we picked it up in the second and third sets. We worked very well together and it was a great feeling to win the bronze.”

Ngwenya and Kotze added the mixed doubles gold to their list of achievements, winning the final 7-5, 2-6, 10-4.

“The final was challenging. I played a tough match in the doubles earlier so I was quite tired. But being a gold medallist for TeamSA is a dream come true and it is a moment I will always cherish,” Kotze said.

Photo: Frennie Shivambu