Mombeyarara crowned national champion

One of the country’s top tennis prospects, Tadiwa Mombeyarara, delivered an impressive performance to claim the overall U25 title at the Namibia Tennis Association (NTA) and Confederation of African Tennis (CAT) U14 and U18 Nationals in Windhoek.

Held at Olympia’s Central Tennis Courts last weekend, the tournament attracted 23 promising players from across the country competing for national ranking points and CAT ranking points in the U14 section, along with medals.

With insufficient entries for a standalone U18 draw, organisers introduced a U25 age category and merged the sections to strengthen competition across boys and girls.

Mombeyarara, who primarily competes in the U16 division, was seeded third and received a bye into the quarter-finals, where he faced fellow U16 player Aidan Matroos.

Matroos, who opened his season by winning last month’s U16 boys’ title, fell to a dominant Mombeyarara, who secured a flawless 6-0, 6-0 victory to advance to the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals, Mombeyarara overcame top seed and multiple U25 title holder Henlou du Toit 6-3, 6-1 to book his place in the final.

The championship match saw him take on Secilia Nghitewapo, who had earlier defeated Liam Oliver 6-1, 6-2 in the quarter-finals before rallying from a set down to beat Leandre Louw 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the semi-finals.

In the final, Mombeyarara proved too strong for Nghitewapo, claiming a commanding 6-2, 6-0 victory to secure his first U25 title after several previous attempts in the age category.

Joanivia encounter on his radar

An elated Mombeyarara hinted at wanting to test himself next against last month’s U25 mixed champion Joanivia Bezuidenhout, who did not compete at the event as she was fresh from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) U18 Junior World Tour in Mozambique.

Reflecting on stepping up from U16 to U25 competition, he said his preparation was key.

“I feel proud of myself. I came here, played my tennis and executed well. I can go home, sleep on my pillows [and be proud of this achievement],” he said.

Mombeyarara added that the title boosts his confidence ahead of what he considers bigger challenges.

“I added more intensity to my game, and I enjoyed how I felt the ball in my strokes. Everything went really well for me.

“[Nghitewapo] also played really well. She is a big hitter, and she can hit you off the court sometimes, so I just tried to get that extra ball back and out-hit her. I feel that worked,” he remarked.

Du Toit claimed the U25 mixed bronze medal.

In the doubles final, Nghitewapo and Emma Zalto faced Lazarus Kanelombe and Du Toit, with the latter pairing prevailing 6-1, 7-6(4).

U14 section champions

Second seed Pameni Paulus captured the U14 boys’ singles title, upsetting top seed Shaifishiina Shimali 6-2, 6-2 in the final. The bronze medal went to Jasper Coetzee.

Paulus and Shimali later teamed up to win the doubles title with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over Joshua Diergaardt and Zéphan van der Westhuizen.

In the U14 girls’ singles, Milan de Lange clinched gold after battling back from a set down to defeat top seed Janice Bezuidenhout 1-6, 6-4, 11-9 in a tense three-set final. Azalia Nauises secured bronze.

Bezuidenhout and Nauises combined to win the girls’ doubles title, defeating Sirkka John and Apple Shuro 6-0, 6-0.

Tournament director Larushak Kruger said the turnout was encouraging, particularly for the U14 players seeking CAT ranking points.

“The U25 players did not receive ranking points. We allowed them to compete to gain experience and enjoy the sport this weekend,” she said.

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