Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
THE Emakhandeni Tennis Open is set for a return after more than a decade since it was last held, with a juniors’ tournament scheduled for tomorrow. Over 70 players in the Under 10, Under 12 and Under 14 age groups are expected to converge at the Emakhandeni Tennis Club for the three-day competition.
Emakhandeni Tennis Club chairman Witness Jiyane said they were happy to be back and would continue with the club’s renowned history of unearthing talented players from the western suburbs.
Jiyane said they were starting on a small scale and hoped to include more age groups in the coming years.
“Following the revival of the club, hosting the tourney was one of our main priorities and I am glad most of the organisations that we approached such as Lions Club of Kumalo, MediHealth Pharmacy, Serve4Africa and Lobels acceded to our request for assistance,” said Jiyane.
Jiyane said schools that have registered pupils for the tourney include Josiah Chinamano, Emakhandeni, Mthombowesizwe, Mtshede, Gampu and Cement Primary schools, as well as Entumbane Secondary, Njube High and GC Academy.
Efforts to revive the Emakhandeni Open began in 2014 following the hosting of the Dumiso Khumalo Memorial Tournament by the Centre for Tennis Excellence, but they fell through due to several challenges.
Emakhandeni Tennis Club was once the catchment area for tennis in the western areas, bringing what was then viewed as an elite sport to previously marginalised areas.
Tennis is still seen as an elite sport, with more players emerging from low-density suburbs, while a few have come from high-density areas of Bulawayo due to lack of infrastructure.
However, the construction of tennis courts in Emakhandeni and a clear development programme by Tennis Zimbabwe saw Aaron Mpofu producing several stars that went on to either play for the country or land on scholarships abroad.
Players such as Noel Wadawu, the late Khumalo, Gloria Mpala, Fadzai Madzimbamuto and Matthew Gumbo, were among Mpofu’s products that made a name for themselves.
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