Hilma Nalupe
Twelve Namibian junior tennis players are currently competing in Gaborone, Botswana, at the International Tennis Federation/Confederation of African Tennis Southern African Junior Individual and Team Championships. The championships commenced last Friday and will conclude on 17 January 2026.
The team made a promising start, with most players winning their opening matches.
In the U/14 category, Breyton Bezuidenhout claimed victory in his first match against Lesotho’s Thlokomelo Bobi.
In the U/16 division, Natalia Ouses defeated Zambia’s Kayla Muimo, while Elrica Nakusera secured a win over Mozambique’s Jazara Alberto in their respective opening matches.
U/16 player Johan Theron opened his campaign with a win against Lesotho’s Reabetsoe Rafutho on Saturday but later suffered a loss to Zambia’s Jonathan Mavuka. Theron bounced back yesterday with a hard-fought victory over Zambian fourth seat Miles Murindagomo, winning 5–7, 7–5, 10–5. Speaking after the match, Theron said he struggled to maintain his lead in the first set due to minor errors but managed to regain composure in the final two sets. “In the second set I started to play more consistently, as well as in the third set,” he said. Theron was the only Namibian remaining in the main draw on Sunday and was scheduled to compete in the semi-finals yesterday afternoon.
At the time of going to print, the results were not yet available.
According to one of the coaches accompanying the team, Patrick Paulus, the Namibian players have performed commendably, especially considering that most of them are competing at a tournament of this magnitude for the first time. “The players who have some experience have done well, while the younger players are still finding their feet. However, the experience is invaluable for them,” Paulus said.
