#zimbabwe Team Zim threaten major upsets in tennis ift.tt/12CtolR Nkosilathi Sibanda Sports Reporter ZIMBABWE’S four tennis players in the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games are geared for gold and have threatened to stage an upset. The players, Ronzai Saurombe, Taremedzwa Mariga, Rufaro Chirewa and Valeria Bhunu are arguably the most promising racket swingers in the country. Tennis games are scheduled to start tomorrow and Team Zimbabwe is confident of pulling through to the finals. In the boys’ category, America-based duo of Saurombe and Mariga are expected to do better than previous performances. High hopes are hinged on these players who are both students at the prestigious Seward University at Kansas City. Yesterday coach Freeman Nyamunokora held two light training sessions in the morning and late afternoon at Bulawayo Athletic Club – the venue for all tennis games. Nyamunokora said the girls, Chirewa and Bhunu, make a formidable doubles team. Chirewa has done well on the ITF circuit, maintaining a respectable position on world rankings as well. On the other hand Bhunu, who just turned professional, is fresh from an impressive show at the Futures tournament in Egypt. “The girls are good. This is where I’d say we’ve a bright future in tennis. What makes us confident to stage an upset on seasoned Region 5 champions is that we’ve prepared well and the team is tough,” Nyamunokora said. “Valeria was recently in Egypt where she was exposed to clay courts. She grew up playing on hard courts and we’re hopeful she will use this experience to cruise easily in all her matches.” Other participating countries – Zambia, South Africa and Namibia – also had their drills in the morning. In the afternoon, most of the teams chose to cancel the training session, possibly due to the scorching heat. Nyamunokora, however, said his team was not troubled by the high temperatures as they will use this to advantage. “We’re on home ground. We’re used to these temperatures and not at all disturbed by the heat. Of course the players stayed long overseas but this is their home, they have acclimatised. If our opponents are worried about the heat, then we’re at an advantage.” Team manager Linsent Chitiyo called for support from local tennis followers. He warned other countries that Zimbabwe is not an underdog. “We call upon all tennis loving Zimbabweans to come and support our players. We want to hit records. At this juncture we’re ready to play for nothing but gold,” Chitiyo said. Before the matches start tomorrow, all participating countries are expected to attend a “sign in” ceremony. In tennis a “sign in” is a pre-tournament ritual where teams confirm their readiness to participate and unveil their players. The tournament referee is expected to conduct the games draw, basing on the number of teams available. ift.tt/eA8V8J
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 22:15:21 +0000
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