Tennis star Daniel on quite a run
In the ladies' singles Cheryse Wikstrom beat Sharon van der Schyff.
It probably wasn’t the smartest of planning by his own admission, but Daniel Francesconi (25) managed to complete his first Comrades Marathon and then win the singles title at Southbroom Tennis Club, within the space of seven days.
He clocked 9:18:06 as he trotted gently down the hill from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.
Seven days later he beat Hriday Kambaran 7-6, 6-2. Teenager Hriday seems to be improving every hour and Daniel was made to fight for it.
“I managed to finish Comrades in a better than expected time but honestly for a Down Run it felt like there were more uphills than downhills – and then to have to play Hriday the next Sunday, probably not a great idea and I wouldn’t recommend it!” he laughed.
Some joked he did more running against Hriday than in the Comrades. “Hriday runs everything down and hardly makes mistakes,” said Daniel.
However, Daniel somehow managed to find a way to win that tiebreaker 7-3 and felt it was key to the outcome.
“I think whoever won the first set was going to win the match,” he said afterwards.
Daniel also won the men’s doubles with his dad Stef, and the mixed doubles with Deanne Purtell-Massyn, making it a memorable triple crown for the year.
For the record, these were played before the Comrades Marathon!
In the ladies’ singles Cheryse Wikstrom beat Sharon van der Schyff to lift her first individual trophy, being especially good in the second set after a close opener.
RESULTS (finals)
Men’s singles: Daniel Francesconi beat Hriday Kambaran 7-6, 6-2.
Plate – Everett Duarte beat Johan van Niekerk 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Ladies’ singles: Cheryse Wikstrom beat Sharon van der Schyff 6-4, 6-0.
Plate – winner Jenny Browne, runner-up Andrea Browne.
Men’s doubles: Daniel Francesconi/Stef Francesconi beat Richard Short/Martyn Nagtegaal 6-4, 6-3.
Plate – winners Johan van Niekerk/Allan Collocott, runners-up Ross Cairns/Bernat Kruger.
Ladies’ doubles: Still to be played between Renee Purtell/Deanne Purtell/Massyn and Zelda Smook/Luise Mohr.
Plate – winners Kyla Brauteseth/Max McKay-Coghill, runners-up Katie-Lynn Weller/Olivia Browne.
Mixed doubles: Daniel Francesconi/Deanne Purtell-Massyn beat Everett Duarte/Pauline Lee 1-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Plate – winners Rob Browne/Andrea Browne, runners-up Bernat Kruger/Geraldine Thompson.
Sportsmanship Trophy – Hriday Kambaran.
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