ZIMBABWE table tennis national champion Tinotenda Fundira is set to fly the country's flag at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender series, which begins this morning at Durban's Olive Convention Center in South Africa.
Over 100 players from across the globe are expected to take part in the tournament ending on Sunday.
Fundira becomes the first Zimbabwean to take part in the event.
"This tournament is very important for me in my career and I am very excited to be taking part in it. l am very happy to be participating in one of the biggest tournament with best players in the world," the 19-year-old told NewsDay Sport.
"l hope and trust that l am going to do well. l can’t say am going to win, but all l have to say is am ready to do my best. But ultimately it's an honour for me to be here because in the history of table tennis in Zim l am the first person to participate in this kind of tournament. My target is to raise the Zimbabwean flag with distinction and also am hoping to get a sponsorship to further develop my career after this tournament," he added.
The Durban 2023 will act as a preparatory event for South Africa Table Tennis Board as it prepares to host ITTF World champions that will be hosted in ICC Durban, South Africa from May 20 to 28 this year.
This event will also provide a critical path way for players to progress through the ITTF ranking structure into the WTT championships to be held later this year.
Some of the top players expected to take part in the Durban competition include Quadri Aruna of Nigeria who is ranked number 15 in the world in the men’s category, as well as Dina Meshref of Egypt who is ranked world number 30 in the women’s category.
ITTF president Ms Petra Sorling and her team will be in attendance of the contender series.
