Three of Border’s brightest rising tennis talents have been selected to play at the prestigious Dunlop South African Masters tennis tournament in Stellenbosch next month.
Merrifield College student Dylan Smith in the U16 division and Selborne College duo Nick Hensberg and Sam McQuirk, both in the U14 division, will be taking on the best tennis players in the country in their respective age groups at the tournament.
“They have to travel to tournaments all over the country and play well throughout the year to reach this event,” said coach Gary Thorne.
Each of the players had to be ranked in the top 14 of their respective age groups to play in the tournament, which features all the junior age groups in boys and girls up to U18.
The three are the only players from the Eastern Cape to make it to the event.
“It is the ranking points that they have accumulated over the year that count towards whether they are invited to this tournament,” explained Thorne.
“It really is a prestigious event. It is probably the biggest tournament that they play in after the SA open earlier in the year, but where anyone can enter the SA open, this is by invitation only and you have to be at the top of your division to get here.”
It will thus be a very tough event with the best of SA playing each other, and they will have to be at the top of their respective games if they want to get far in the tournament.
“What does count in our favour is that this year it is being held near the coast in Stellenbosch and not up country,” said Thorne.
All three players train under Thorne at Coastal Tennis Academy and he believes they have the talent to go far if they continue to play tennis at the highest level.
“Each one has their strengths which they will work on over the years and it is just a matter of how far they want to go, how much they want to put in,” said Thorne.
Top Border teens in SA Masters
Merrifield College student Dylan Smith in the U16 division and Selborne College duo Nick Hensberg and Sam McQuirk, both in the U14 division, will be taking on the best tennis players in the country in their respective age groups at the tournament.
“They have to travel to tournaments all over the country and play well throughout the year to reach this event,” said coach Gary Thorne.
Each of the players had to be ranked in the top 14 of their respective age groups to play in the tournament, which features all the junior age groups in boys and girls up to U18.
The three are the only players from the Eastern Cape to make it to the event.
“It is the ranking points that they have accumulated over the year that count towards whether they are invited to this tournament,” explained Thorne.
“It really is a prestigious event. It is probably the biggest tournament that they play in after the SA open earlier in the year, but where anyone can enter the SA open, this is by invitation only and you have to be at the top of your division to get here.”
It will thus be a very tough event with the best of SA playing each other, and they will have to be at the top of their respective games if they want to get far in the tournament.
“What does count in our favour is that this year it is being held near the coast in Stellenbosch and not up country,” said Thorne.
All three players train under Thorne at Coastal Tennis Academy and he believes they have the talent to go far if they continue to play tennis at the highest level.
“Each one has their strengths which they will work on over the years and it is just a matter of how far they want to go, how much they want to put in,” said Thorne.
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