South Africa’s Under-14 boys’ team secured an impressive podium finish at the African Junior Teams’ Competition (AJTC) in Cairo, Egypt, after claiming third place with a dominant 3-0 victory over Tunisia in the bronze medal play-off on Saturday.
The tournament, which serves as the African qualifying event for the ITF World Junior Tennis Finals, brought together some of the continent’s top junior tennis nations in a highly competitive week of action.
The South African boys’ team, comprising Tristan Summers, Mpho Bowers and Alec Koch under the guidance of coach Mitchell Deetlefs, opened their campaign in emphatic fashion with a commanding 3-0 victory over Cameroon without dropping a set. The team then faced tough encounters against Morocco and Egypt, narrowly losing both ties 2-1, before bouncing back strongly to defeat Tunisia and secure third place overall.
In the girls’ competition, South Africa’s team of Winnie Masemola, Ariana van der Westhuizen and Carli Erasmus, coached by Roxanne Clarke, produced several impressive performances throughout the week to finish in fourth position overall.
The girls recorded notable victories over Kenya, Egypt and Botswana, while narrowly going down 2-1 against both Tunisia and Morocco in closely contested ties.
Tennis South Africa congratulates all players and coaches on their performances and for proudly representing the country on the continental stage.
Results Summary:
Boys:
• Beat Cameroon 3-0
• Lost to Morocco 2-1
• Lost to Egypt 2-1
• Beat Tunisia 3-0 (3rd Place Play-off)
Girls:
• Lost to Tunisia 2-1
• Lost to Morocco 2-1
• Beat Kenya 3-0
• Beat Egypt 2-1
• Beat Botswana 2-1