Top Wheelchair Tennis to WOW Cape Town
From 1 – 4 October 2012, Strand Tennis Club, will be hosting the 1st Airports Company South Africa Strand Open, sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), is part of the NEC World Wheelchair Tennis Tour.
The Airports Company South Africa Strand Open is one of three entry level international events we host in South Africa. Around 84 players are expected to participate in event, with the majority of players being from our regional programmes. The focus for this event, being a Future Level Event, is to give as many players as possible the opportunity to gain world ranking points and experience.
It is the perfect environment to introduce new talent to international competitions, and provide them with valuable competitive experience. The Open Men’s Draw is set to offer exciting tennis. Evans Maripa, SA’s no.1 and Nyasha Mharakurwa, Zimbabwe’s No 1 player have just returned from the 2012 Paralympics where they both won their first rounds and lost to players ranked in the top 15 in the world. Other South African players to watch are Marshall Marsh and Leon Els.
In the women’s division SA’s no. 2 lady Rose van der Meer is a firm favourite for the title. She has won the last 2 international events in South Africa in 2012 – the ACSA Polokwane Open and the ACSA Soweto Open. Will she be able to make it three in a row, or will talented Mabel Mankgele from Pretoria stop her winning streak? The junior division will certainly be one of the most competitive draws. Will Gift Lekhanyane take his third Junior title for the year from fellow school mate Mabel Mankgele or will up and coming players, Thato Tsomole and Sean de Hilster from Hartebeespoort Dam, rise to the challenge. The top ranked South African players that will be competing are:
MEN’s Division |
WOMEN’s Division |
||
Name and Surname | SA Rank | Name and Surname | SA Rank |
Evans Maripa | 1 | Rose van der Meer | 2 |
Marshall Marsh | 3 | Mabel Mankgele | 5 |
Leon Els | 4 | Siphokazi Fuma | 8 |
Ishmael Tshipuke | 5 | Noma-Afrika Gqumisa | 10 |
QUAD’s Division |
JUNIOR’s Division |
||
Name and Surname | SA Rank | Name and Surname | SA Rank |
Bongani Dlaminin | 3 | Gift Lekhanyane | 2 |
Fernando Gallant | 4 | Mabel Mankgele | 3 |
Thato Tsomole | 4 | ||
Sean de Hilster | 5 |
Participation in local and international tournaments such as these is made possible by the generous sponsorships offered by Airports Company South Africa, the official sponsor of the sport.
Venue: Strand Tennis Club
Church Street
Strand
Cape Town
Time: 09h00-16h00 daily
Dates : 1 – 4 October 2012
For more information, please contact Bianca Morkel Tel: 083 386 4002 Fax: 086 651 6664 Email:
pr@tennis.co.za .Other resources worth a visit include: www.tennis.co.za; our Facebook page:
WheelchairTennisSA and/or follow us on Twitter: @WCTennis.