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Nicole Chigwada in action during the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Tennis Board Junior Tournament Under-18 Girls final at Bulawayo Athletic Club on Sunday. She went down 6-1, 6-2 to Tanya Magunje

Sifundiso Ndlovu Sports Reporter
THE Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Tennis Board Junior Tournament held at Bulawayo Athletic Club ended on Sunday.
The three-day tournament started on Friday with juniors from the province battling it out.
Tanya Magunje won the girls’ Under-18 singles final beating Rutendo Makamure 6-3, 6-0.
Makamure booked a place in the final after beating her elder sister Rumbizai in the semi-final.

National team players and brothers Mehluli and Mzingaye Sibanda contested in the boys’ Under-18 singles final.
Mzingaye emerged victorious edging his younger brother Mehluli on 7-6, 3-6, 7-5.

They both took part in the International Tennis Federation Under-18 tournament held in Kenya.
Mehluli had the better of another national team player Tanaka Chabata in the semi-finals, who took part in the Africa Junior Championship last month.
The Under-14 played a round robin format.

Mzwandile Luphahla won the boys’ category while Thabisile Dube won in the girls’.
Tournament director Petros Ndlovu said the tournament was in preparation for the national inter-provincial competitions and other events lined-up this month.

“This tournament is a warm up for the players to prepare themselves for the Zimbabwe Closed Tournament which will be held in Harare at the end of the month.
“We have four events coming up this month which are the Manicaland Open, Mantas Open and Harare Junior Open so this tournament is to prepare our players,” he said.

Ndlovu said the sport is gaining popularity in the province especially among the Under-10s.
Participants in this tournament were drawn from schools and clubs around Bulawayo.

Winners were issued with certificates of participation and accumulated points for national team consideration and rankings.

Results.
Semi-finals
Under-18s
Girls’ singles
Rutendo Makamure beat Rumbidzayi Makamure 6-3, 6-4.
Tanya Magunje beat Nicole Chigwada 6-1, 6-2.

Final
Tanya Magunje beat Rutendo Makamure 6-3, 6-0.
Boys singles
Mzingaye Sibanda beat Chris Sibanda 6-4, 6-4.
Mehluli Sibanda beat Tanaka Chabata 6-2, 6-0.

Final
Mzingaye Sibanda beat Mehluli Sibanda 7-6, 3-6, 7-5.