Local tennis star again selected for Federation Cup team
Pretoria’s Ilze Hattingh, South Africa’s second highest ranked women tennis player on the world rankings, was again included in the Federation Cup team for the upcoming tournament in Lithuania.
Tennis South Africa (TSA) announced their strongest possible Fed Cup team for the upcoming Fed Cup Euro/Africa Zone Group 2 tournament to be played from 17-22 April 2017 in Siauliai, Lithuania.
Ilze Hatting from Pretoria, which currently is on number 969 is on the world rankings, will join Chanel Simmonds, Madrie le Roux and Makayla Loubser, with Earl Grainger as Captain.
In line with the TSA vision of developing and ‘grooming’ juniors for future Fed Cup duty, TSA announced that junior Linge Steenkamp (Free State) would be travelling to Lithuania with the team.
South Africa will be one of eight nations participating in the week long round robin tournament and will face the hosts Lithuania as well as Denmark, Egypt, Liechtenstein, Norway, Slovenia and Sweden at the Siauliai Tennis School. Following the tournament, two teams will be promoted to Group 1 whilst two teams will be relegated to Group 3.
“I am happy to announce a fantastic mix of youth and experience in our 2017 Fed Cup team. It’s time to start nurturing the youngsters for the future. Chanel Simmonds together with Ilze Hattingh and Madrie Le Roux will lead the team in Lithuania. All three of these girls have lots of experience at winning at international levels and have played many Fed Cup ties between them. And the fourth member of the team is promising junior Makayla Loubser, a real star of the future and who has represented the country as a junior on the international stage on many occasions,” said Grainger.
Loubser, aged 14 from Cape Town, will be making her debut Fed Cup appearance. Loubser is the reigning under 14 National singles and doubles champion as well as the reigning under 14 African Junior Championship singles and doubles champion.
Grainger said together with TSA, he had a five year plan to start changing the face of women’s tennis in South Africa.
“We have some very exciting juniors to look forward to in the future. Juniors like Makayla, Linge, Zoe Kruger, Myah Petchey are some of many,” Grainger extended.
The South African captain affirmed that the tournament in Lithuania would be a challenge for his team.
“I am under no illusion of the task ahead of us and that survival in the group is of the utmost importance, but I have complete faith in Chanel, Ilze and Madrie who I know will go out fighting hard for South Africa and to do the country proud in the tournament,” he concluded.
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