Starlet Chakanyuka eyes national team role
Kabelo Boranabi | Saturday July 23, 2022 06:00
Chakanyuka, who is of Zimbabwean descent, recently attained full Botswana citizenship and used the Botswana Open, held in the National Tennis Centre, to charm the national team selectors.
The youngster was in a menacing mood throughout the four-day long tournament and capped off with a 6-4, 6-2 win in the final against Leungo Monnayoo. The duo went on to win the women’s doubles final played on Tuesday as Chakanyuka emerged from the tournament as a double champion.
Speaking to Mmegi Sport, the 16-year-old said after losing two consecutive Botswana Open finals, she was looking to send a message to the local tennis fraternity. Chakanyuka, who was the early favourite for the title due to the absence of her greatest rival, Tshegofatso Tsiang, felt she had done enough to make the national team selectors look her way. “I feel really good about winning the Botswana Open because I have played many (in the tournament) and reached the final but I have only got second place.
This year I got first place, so I wanted to prove to myself that I could become number one. This year I came here to prove that I could make it and be at the top of my game and be the best I could be. “There are few tennis players here. For me, I feel that I made my statement, proved to be a very good tennis player, and also raised my status and be known.
I think it will help me get into the national team,” Chakanyuka said. She believes having more time on the court has helped her get the title that had evaded her on two occasions. “This time around what changed is that I had more training hours and played in more tennis games out of the country, which improved my consistency and how I play.
I ended up learning new styles and ways of play, which I ended up implementing in this game,” she said. The teenager is currently 987th in the ITF rankings. Meanwhile, Zimbabwean teenager, Shane Tapera walked out of the National Tennis Centre as a double champion.
Tapera beat Mark Nawa to clinch the men’s singles championship. He later teamed up with Denzel Seeletso to win the doubles’ final.
The winners of both the men's and women’s singles bagged P4,500, the runners-up P2,500, while the semi-finalists won P1,500. The doubles champions won P2,000 each while the finalists took home P1,500 each.