Florida Park and Arthur Ashe Tennis Clubs host multi-province Women’s Day event
Ladies from across the Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo and North West slugged it out in singles and doubles competitions.
In a celebration of female athleticism, Arthur Ashe Soweto Tennis Club in partnership with Vaal Sports Development Trust held a high-quality all-female tennis exhibition.
Hosted at Florida Park Tennis Club on Women’s Day, August 9, close to 40 women from across the central and northern provinces stretched themselves from net to baseline in both a singles and doubles tournament. D
ressed in blue and white as a tip of the peak cap to sponsor Standard Bank, women travelled from as far as Bloemfontein and Polokwane to enjoy their dedicated day. Special guest was rising star, Kganya Marote, who is Arthur Ashe Soweto’s brand ambassador and U/14 national representative.
The day was made possible by Karin Dirr, Travel and Risk Manager from Standard Bank’s Group Physical Security’s division. Karin was approached by Vaal Sports Development Trust’s Motlatsi Majoro and the community-conscious bank was quick to jump on board. Standard Bank promotes several short-term partnerships that aim to promote social development, and Karin noted how they were appreciative for the opportunity to positively influence the sport development sphere.
While friends, family, sponsors and administrators soaked up the atmosphere, the racquet-swinging aces slugged it out. In the doubles competition, the pairing of Allison Hernandez-Maldonado from Polokwane and Jackie van Staaden from Boksburg defeated the Arthur Ashe Soweto team of Marosa Kapoko and Tsimi Mogoai in the final. In the singles final, Arthur Ashe Soweto would again have to settle for second place as Florida Park’s Elsa Struwig defeated Lefentse Nkosi.
With the corporate backing, each participant would receive a Standard Bank hamper and were treated to a special Women’s Day lunch.
Reflecting on a positive day of women’s tennis, Motlatsi said, “It was a great turnout today; really happy to see so many ladies make the effort to travel to participate. It is always a joy to see courts alive and we thank Florida Park, Standard Bank and everyone who made this day possible.”
