Bezuidenhout takes crown at tenth junior tourney

Rising tennis sensation Joanivia Bezuidenhout impressed when she took the crown in the mixed singles and doubles at the Namibia Tennis Association’s (NTA) Tenth Junior Tournament last weekend.Held at Olympia’s Central Tennis Courts and Sport Klub Windhoek (SKW), the tournament attracted over 70 budding tennis prodigies. They competed across the U25 to U10 age categories for top honours and crucial ranking points that count towards national team selection.The event also served as a precursor to the season’s final showdown, the invitational Junior Masters Championship, to be held from 31 October to 1 November. Here, the top eight players from each age category will battle it out to crown the country’s champions.Sets actionIn the U25 age category, the men’s and women’s sections were merged for stronger competition. Seeded third for the event, Bezuidenhout first went up against Tadiwa Mombeyarara, winning 6-2, 6-1.She next took on second seed Mari van Schalkwyk, conceding the second set to take the match to a decider, where she ultimately prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.In the final, Bezuidenhout faced fourth seed Jaden van der Westhuizen, whose fighting spirit saw him take the first set. She came from behind, however, to win another three-setter 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.The doubles were also mixed, with Bezuidenhout teaming up with Van Schalkwyk. They first took on the pair of Mombeyarara and Elrica Nakusera, beating them 6-2, 6-1.The final proved another tough contest that went the distance, as Bezuidenhout and Van Schalkwyk faced Stephan Koen and Van der Westhuizen. Their opponents put up a strong fight, taking the second set, but ultimately lost the match 6-3, 5-7, 11-9.‘One of my toughest tourneys’Reflecting on winning all the tournament’s titles, Bezuidenhout welcomed the gold medals, describing the event as “one of my toughest tournaments” played in the scorching heat.“My feet were burning in my shoes, and I could feel the heat in my body with every swing of my racket. The most taxing part of it all was playing both the singles and doubles semi-finals and finals all in one day, with three of the matches going to three sets,” she said.Bezuidenhout rose above the challenges, acknowledging her mental toughness and endurance skills, along with her wet towel and water bottle, which played a crucial role in keeping her cool.“My rackets couldn’t handle the heat and intensity, as I snapped all three of them and had to play with a borrowed racket,” she said.However, the circumstances did dampen her spirit, as she maintained her momentum and intensity until the very end.“This was a good mental test for me ahead of the upcoming tournaments in Zimbabwe and Botswana. I am so happy my hard work paid off for this tournament,” she said.Bezuidenhout will on 15 November leave for the International Tennis Federation (ITF) U18 World Junior Tour, starting in Botswana with the J60 Gaborone from 17 to 22 November and J100 Gaborone from 24 to 29 November.She will then travel to Zimbabwe, where she will compete in the J30 Bulawayo event from 1 to 6 December before the J60 Bulawayo event from 8 to 13 December.U16 to U10 winnersThe NTA Junior Tournament also featured outstanding competition from the lower age categories. The top three winners were as follows:Mixed U16 singles: 1 Elrica Nakusera, 2 Secilia Nghitewapo, 3 Aidan Matroos.Girls U14 singles: 1 Francis Boshoff, 2 Niamey Marcus, 3 Janah King.Boys U14 singles: 1 Shafishina Shimali, 2 Pameni Paulus, 3 Breyton Bezuidenhout.Doubles: 1 Joshua Diergaardt/Zephan van der Westhuizen, 2 Shimali/Bezuidenhout.Girls U12 singles: 1 Janice Bezuidenhout, 2 Madison Hoff, 3 Christina Boshoff.Doubles: 1 Bezuidenhout/Hoff, 2 Tanatswanashe Katsvara/Tonata Shikololo.Boys U12 singles: 1 Jasper Coetzee, 2 Nicholas Buys, 3 Zephan van der Westhuizen.Doubles: 1 Coetzee/Buys, 2 Roberto Mazumo/John Mubita.Boys U10 singles: 1 Adriaan Tromp, 2 Faan Vermaak, 3 Pwoove Paulus.Doubles: 1 Tromp/Paulus, 2 Vermaak/Andre Oliver.– mariud@nsh.com.na

Bezuidenhout takes crown at tenth junior tourney

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Namibian Sun 2026-03-02

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Bezuidenhout takes crown at tenth junior tourney

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Namibian Sun 2026-03-02

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