Potchefstroom’s Jahnie van Zyl achieved an incredible feat when she won both the singles and doubles titles at the African Junior Tennis Championships (J200) in Cairo, Egypt on Friday, March 27.
The cherry on top of becoming African champion is that the 17-year-old did it on a clay court – one of the toughest surfaces to play on, especially against North African opposition who thrive on clay.
Van Zyl beat Egypt’s Rahaf Mostafa in the final 6-2, 7-5 to lift the girls’ singles title. Van Zyl and Allegra van der Walt, also from Potchefstroom, won the doubles final against Rahaf Mostafa and Sara Saad of Egypt 6-2, 6-3.
Van Zyl, a former Mooirivier and Gimmies learner, is having a stellar year after reaching the first round of the main draw of Australian Open Juniors earlier this year.
The African Junior Tennis Championships pit the top junior African players against each other, with players representing their nations with honour and pride.
According to Roxanne Clarke, the coach of the SA girls’ team at the championships, Jahnie was very determined to win the title after finishing as runner-up last year.
“She was the top-ranked player in the draw and probably the most feared player in the draw. Her toughest match was the quarter-final against Lina Bezza of Morocco. She lost to her in the final last year. She managed to beat Lina in two sets after she was down four set points in the first set, which she won in a tie-break,” added Clarke.
Rain also added extra spice to proceedings, increasing the difficulty level. Matches had to be scheduled closer together, with less time for rest and recovery.
“Jahnie had to play a semi-final and two finals (singles and doubles) in one day. It was a great event for her. It will help her world ranking jump to between 100 and 120, which will set her up to compete in the remaining Grand Slams.”
Jahnie van Zyl’s road to the final:
- Second round: beat Zeinab Ayadi (Tunisia) 6-1, 6-0
- Quarter-final: beat Lina Bezza (Morocco) 7-6, 6-4
- Semi-final: beat Sara Saad (Egypt) 6-3, 6-1
- Final: beat Rahaf Mostafa (Egypt) 6-2, 7-5
