The event, which is regarded as the biggest in the Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) calendar, will see contests in the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles for men and women.
Denzel Seetso and Tshegofatso Tsiang won the 2021 edition in the boys and girls sections respectively. Shane Tapera of Zimbabwe won the boy's title while in the girl's section, Chelsea Chakanyuka was victorious in last year's edition.
The stakes are high as the former champions will look to reclaim their titles. However, it will not be a walk in the park as they face stiff competition from Yarona Morule of South Africa, currently playing college tennis in the United States and the rising local star, Mark Nawa.
Seetso will use the championship as a springboard for his preparations for a tournament in Durban where he will try his luck to qualify for the junior US Open. The BTA president, Oaitse Thipe told Mmegi Sport that over the years the event attracted players from the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
“The event is open to all players, 13 years and above. The event will also have a veteran’s category with the men’s starting at 43 years while the women's category starts at 35 years. A lot of junior and senior players have shown interest in the event and we are expecting over 40 local players as well as around over 30 players from within the region. Registration closes today (Friday),” he said.
Thipe said as part of BTA's strategy, the Botswana Open is envisioned as Botswana’s first professional tennis event that will be an International Tennis Federation (ITF) sanctioned World tennis tour event. He said this year the BTA would introduce several initiatives that will allow the tournament to grow towards international ranking and positioning. “These include the development of a tournament brand identity and attracting internationally ranked players from Africa and the rest of the world to the event.
The championships' brand identity has been unveiled with a tagline ‘The Ultimate Serve'. We hope the brand identity will create a memorable experience for participants, sponsors, and fans,” Thipe said. He said the men’s national team would use the competition to prepare for the Davis Cup Africa Group IV in Rwanda. Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Rwanda will compete in the Davis Cup Africa Group IV.
