Times Of Swaziland: SITEKI TENNIS PLAYERS FOR SA TOURNEY

SITEKI TENNIS PLAYERS FOR SA TOURNEY
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Pholsile Hlophe on 18/09/2022 15:31:00


MBABANE – Siteki Tennis Club will be sending their high performing junior
players to compete in South Africa next month.
The tournament will be played in October in Pretoria. In the list of the
travelling squad is Under-10 champion Joshan Eziegbo (7); nine-year-old Bulelani
Khumalo; Bantubonke Maseko, who is 11; and 13-year-old Khayelihle Ndzimandze.
Only two years after the establishment of the club, Coach Njabulo Mbhamali,
through the help of the Eswatini Tennis Association (ETA), have embraced tennis
development in the Lubombo region, making Siteki one of the best tennis clubs in
terms of performance, as evidenced in local tournaments.
schedule
Mbhamali said the players followed a strict weekly training schedule and played
inter-club tournaments with their neighbours in Mhlume Tennis Club led by Coach
Gabi Mkhabela.
“This will not be the first time competing outside the country as we have also
participated in Mozambique and South Africa. ‘‘For a new club, it’s
important that they get exposed to different opponents with more experience, so
that they can improve their competitive level instead of playing against one and
the same players here at home. The team will be travelling on October 7 and
return two days later,” Mbhamali said.
He further said their preparations had been ongoing every week. “We usually
take them to other clubs such as Mhlume to make them get more practice and games
for their preparation,” he said. He also highlighted that 90 per cent of the
about 100 players he attended to on a weekly basis had their first tennis
experience when the club was formed two years ago.