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TENNIS Zimbabwe (TZ) has won the bid to host the African Junior Championships (AJC) zonal qualifiers next year but must raise US$50 000 to stage the prestigious tournament.
The Southern Africa qualifiers will be staged at the Harare Sports Club from January 10 -17. Winners from the zonal qualifiers will earn the ticket to the 32nd African Juniors Tennis Championship in Nigeria in April 2010.
The 2009 AJC were held in Casablanca, Morocco and Zimbabwe’s Mbonisi Ndimande was crowned the Under-18 boys’ champion.
The previous year, Takanyi Garan’anga was the champion.
TZ administrator Cliff Nhokwara said the association was still trying to raise funds to host the tournament.
“To be able to host the ITF CAT Southern Africa Zonal qualifiers we need at least plus or minus US$50 000,” Nhokwara said. “We are going to get a small grant from the ITF, but even with that grant we are going to be left with a huge shortfall.
“We will be hosting at least 100 people including all the players and coaches coming from the 10 Southern African countries.
“They will be in the country for seven days and we have to pay for their hotel accommodation. At the moment we have approached the corporate sector in search of sponsors,” Nhokwara said.
The African Junior Championships founded in 1978 has acted as a valuable springboard from which the most talented players have launched their career. The Black family — Wayne, Cara and Byron cut their teeth at this championship. Byron was the continental champion in 1985 before he went to conquer the world while Cara was the champion in 1992.
The championships offer competition in three age groups – the under 14, 16 and 18 levels.
In 2007, in the under 16 and under 14 age categories, a new format was implemented for the first time in eight years. Players from three of the four African zones (West and Central Africa, Southern Africa and East Africa) competed in zonal championships to qualify for a place in the African Junior Championships.
Nhokwara said TZ would host a tournament before the zonal qualifiers to help the local players’ preparations.
Tennis Zimbabwe has named a 16-member team for the Southern Africa qualifiers.
Boys Under-16:
Tendai Tapfuma, Ronzai Saurombe, Takudzwa Muswere, Mufaro Mukome.
Boys Under-14:
Courtney Lock, Luca Picci, Alywin Mushonga, Ngoni Chiwewete.
Girls Under-16:
Valeria Bhunu, Pauline Chawafambira, Michaela Lock, Vimbai Ugaro.
Girls Under-14:
Nicole Dzenga, Thabile Tshatedi, Lisa Shoko, Memory Nyabereka.
BY NIGEL MATONGORERE
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