Another Very Good Daveyton Tournament

Once again we supported the Daveyton tournament. Daveyton is a similar township to Vosloorus and also has a development program run under the auspices of Gauteng East Tennis Association. Dundee Radebe runs a very good program there but does not have the same  quality that Vosloorus can boast.

Sadly the entries were down on last year and they had to combine some of the age groups which meant that out under 16 girls were scheduled to play in the Open singles. But that did not deter them!

Thando Xolo and Angel Nkosi met in the quarter finals and Angel almost beat her for the first time in competitive play. Angel recovered from the loss of the first set to play really well for a 61 scoreline to win the second set,  but the final set tie break saw her slip back and some errors cost her what would have been an excellent win going down 7-10. Thando went on to beat Bonolo to secure third place and again a very good finish for her.

Wandile Tshabalala excelled with a remarkable win over a more fancied player to reach the semi final. He showed greater application in being consistent and overcame the loss of the second set without securing a game, and win the tie break 10-8. This must rank as one of, if the best result he has achieved and he went on to finish third overall, definitely his best tournament result.

Siya Silinga our youngest and most promising player, had the misfortunes to play the number 3 seed in the first round and then in the play offs met the number 4 seed who had unexpectedly been defeated. However, Siya more than made up for that disappointment by reaching the final of the doubles which was not played for some unknown reason. The fact that she was playing with a partner she had even met before they walked onto court was even a more meritorious result. Siya is a very small child for her age which does not go towards her being effective in many respects, but she makes up for that by sheer concentration and application. The promise is there but her size will always hold her back.

In all a very satisfactory tournament even if we have to admit the standard was down on last year. However, it meant that our kids had more exposure to tournament play and that is a very good thing. Onwards and upwards, kids, to the next one.