Gripping final brings curtain down on successful club champs
Unsurprisingly, both players coach and comprise the dominant doubles pairing at the club, making them equally familiar with each other's game.
Beautiful spring sunshine provided the perfect setting for two of the area’s top tennis talents to go head to head. The Weltevreden Park Tennis Club faithful braced for a midday showdown to decide the 2020 Men’s Singles Championship on Saturday, 12 September.
Over five weeks, 32 competitors were whittled down to the two men that the bookies had expected to face off for the title. In the luminous green corner was the man with a thunderous serve and a significant height advantage, Kyle Jackman. In the black, white and salmon corner, stood the personification of calm and composed, Juan de Beer.
Going into the match, Juan had been undefeated in the pair’s previous three competitive encounters and was relaxed before the best of three sets decider, saying, “Ill go out and have some fun and enjoy the occasion”. Slightly less reserved, his energetic yet contemplative opponent was as optimistic, if not realistic, remarking, “Hopefully I get one over him today. I’ll give it all I got.”
Unsurprisingly, both players coach and comprise the dominant doubles pairing at the club, making them equally familiar with each other’s game. The final proved incredibly tight with an astonishing back and forth in which neither player dropped a game on their serve throughout the entire match. The negligible margins meant that each set went to a tiebreaker with Juan proving that consistency is king, winning the first and second set tiebreaks for a 7–6, 7–6 straight sets win.
“The tennis played today was outstanding. The level of competition at the club is getting closer and closer, and days like this really raise the bar for the club,” said chairperson Yusuf Coovadia during the post-match presentation. Ensuring a high level of competition is no easy feat as the maintenance of the top-class facilities has become a heavy financial burden. The club is looking to raise R35 0000 for fencing and resurfacing its courts, and is offering advertising and signage space in exchange for investment.
For a tightly contested final, the crowd and supporters of the two aces showed commendable sportsmanship full of the sociable banter and warm hospitality synonymous with the family-friendly atmosphere at the club. Shrugging off the weight of expectation, Juan again sits atop the local tennis podium with sights trained on the future.
