South Africa’s young promising wheelchair tennis players will converge at Arthur Ashe Tennis Centre in Soweto next weekend for the 2018 NetCare Inter-Provincial Championships.
The tennis championship will see fifteen teams from all nine provinces, each represented by four players, battle it out over two days in singles and doubles matches with the competition beginning on Saturday 23 June and culminating with finals on Sunday 24 June.
The Netcare sponsored event is a key event in the high-performance pathway, with the country’s up and coming wheelchair tennis talent experiencing another full exposure to national competition and the opportunity to be identified to represent the country at international tournaments.
Notable players partaking in the event are Gauteng North’s Mabel Mankgele who was part of the teams which represented South African in the 2012 and 2013 BNP Paribas World Team Cup and have done exceptionally well on the international ITF Circuit, as well as Western Cape’s Mayenzeke Gwija and promising star Brilliant Mabaso from Limpopo North.
Wheelchair Tennis South Africa (WTSA) are looking forward to the weekend as they look to take the sport to the next level nationwide.
WTSA CEO Karen Losch said the event showcase South Africa’s best young wheelchair tennis players and it is a huge honour for the athletes to represent their Provinces.
“It is the first time we host the Inter-Provincial tournament and I can’t wait to see the on-court action in Soweto. It is going to be very exciting seeing all Provinces battle it out!” she said.
Tournament Director Patrick Selepe said it is huge for the players to be selected to represent their Provinces.
“Their selection means they are the best in their Provinces; just think how many players there are in the Provinces who are their age.
“If they perform well at events like these they can get a chance to many more opportunities.