DERRICK TOPS ESWATINI TENNIS RANKINGS

MBABANE - Zimbawe-born tennis player Derrick Namanya is currently the highest ranked player in the country.

This is according to the Eswatini Tennis Association (ETA) rankings released on March 1, 2022. ETA General Secretary Nqaba Mkhaliphi said the players were ranked according to their performance in the senior tennis tournament played over the past weekend. The 25-year-old champion, who topped the ranking chart with an unmatched 50 points and five points clear from Thulani Gina, was the ultimate winner of the tournament.  Namanya beat Gina by 6:3, 6:2 in the finals on Sunday at the Swaziland Building Society (SBS) Tennis Centre at Lobamba.
Reacting to the rankings, Namanya said; “It is always a great feeling to be highest ranked but as tennis players we are always in transit to a better place and keep wanting more. I love Eswatini. I feel safe here, the people are amazing and this is my second home. I intend to spend not less than five years in helping the country grow to international level.” Tandzile Dlamini is the highest ranked in the ladies category. She is sitting at 50 points ahead of Takhona Khumalo and Zwakele Zwane in position three.

Motivate

Mkhaliphi said ranking the players would motivate them to strive for the summit as they would be used to select players that would represent the country in international tournaments. “In the past, we did not have clear strategic criteria of ranking our players, but we knew that Bruce Gama who is now based in South Africa was the best player followed by Gina. It’s a good move going forward,” Mkhaliphi said. Gina also shared similar sentiments with Mkhaliphi and said; “It’s a good start because we were always confused as to who was actually the highest ranked player. “Derrick is a skillful player and he plays tennis full-time unlike most of us who do it part-time but that is not an excuse on my part. I just wish that the executive could have engaged us since they only considered one event’s performance but this will definitely motivate the competition for the top spot,” Gina said.

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