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Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
FOUR local tennis players are in Botswana for the Toyota Centre Juniors Open that starts today.

The tourney will take place at Notwane Sports Club in Gaborone.

The Chapepa sisters Kuzivaishe (6) and Kudzaishe (9) will be hoping to make an impression in the tournament together with Falcon College pupils Patrickb Masson (17) and Tatenda Mukudu (15), who will play in the Under-19 and Under-16 categories.

Kuzivaishe, a pupil at Convent, will feature in the orange ball section, while Kudzaishe will play in the green dot.

Coach Adam Joelson, who is accompanying the players, said they look forward to gauging the players’ game against foreign opposition.

“I’m travelling with a small contingent because most of our players are at school, while Botswana schools are on a mid-term break. The two older boys will be hoping to do well in their age groups, while the young ladies will be aiming to gauge their abilities against those of their contemporaries,” said Joelson.

Masson featured in the Zimbabwe schools’ team that took 12th position out of 50 teams in a tournament played in South Africa early this year.

Despite only taking up tennis last year, Kudzaishe bagged three of the five tournaments she has played in this year.

She took the Bulawayo Open, Midlands Open and Manicaland Open, while she was runner-up in the Tarryn-Leigh de Souza Memorial and the Harare Open. Fradreck Chapepa, father to the girls, said his daughters are excited about embarking on their first foreign trip.

“While Kudzaishe is focusing on doing well, we are using the trip to manage her transition from the Under-10 to the Under-12 age group. It will be the beginning of her journey in taking on regional opponents as she develops her game. After Botswana, we will look at opportunities for her to play in South Africa as we believe this is a critical stage as she seeks to improve her tennis,” he said.