Botswana’s Under-14 tennis players delivered an outstanding performance at the first leg of the World Tennis/CAT Under-14 Championships, sweeping the boys’ singles and doubles titles as well as the girls’ singles and doubles crowns at the National Tennis Centre.
The home players demonstrated their growing strength on the regional stage, producing impressive performances against competitors from South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya to emerge as the dominant force in the tournament’s opening leg.
In the boys’ singles final, Botswana’s Lebone Tlape proved too strong for South Africa’s Kikuto Kasahara, securing a convincing 6-2, 6-2 victory to claim the title. Tlape continued his dominant run in the boys’ doubles, partnering with compatriot Francesco Derek Brink to defeat Zimbabwe’s Tonevimbo Chinamo and Kenya’s Maina Olembo 6-2, 6-1, completing a memorable double triumph.
Botswana’s dominance extended to the girls’ category, where top seed Angel Chakanyuka claimed the singles title after defeating Zimbabwe’s Chloe Hayes 6-2, 6-2 in the final. Chakanyuka underlined her authority throughout the competition, winning the singles title without dropping a set—a performance that highlighted her consistency and competitive edge over her regional counterparts.
She subsequently partnered with Reene Sebego in the girls’ doubles, where the Botswana duo secured another title with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over compatriots Camilla Seetso and her partner.
The results marked a remarkably successful opening leg for Botswana, with the country’s young players capitalizing on home advantage to assert themselves across all main categories. The strong showing provides an encouraging platform for Botswana’s junior tennis program, demonstrating the high potential of its emerging players on the regional circuit.
With Botswana having claimed all four titles in the opening leg, attention turned to the second leg, which was set to commence the following day at the National Tennis Centre. The subsequent round presented another opportunity for the home players to maintain their winning momentum and reinforce Botswana’s standing in regional junior tennis.
