OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Wednesday 3.30pm.
THE South African under-14 tennis teams competing in the NTT World Junior Tennis Final in Nagoya, Japan got off to a good start on Wednesday, with each team managing to beat one of the seeded teams.
The boys’ team of Izak van der Merwe, Craig Smith and Shaun Ellison beat second seeds Austria on Wednesday, and the girls’ team of Charne Scheepers, Marietta van Niekerk and Michelle Mojzis ended the seventh seed US team’s campaign.
Van der Merwe set the pace for the boys by beating Marc Auradou 1-6 6-3 6-0, but Smith then lost to Emile Petit 6-3 6-4. Ellison and Smith, however turned the tables in the deciding doubles rubber, beating Auradou and Petit 4-6 7-5 6-3.
The girls secured their tie by winning the two singles matches. Van Niekerk sank Tanner Cochrane 2-6 6-3 7-5, while Scheepers beat Amber Liu 2-6 6-4 6-3. Mojzis and Scheepers were beaten 6-2 7-5 by Cochrane and Jennifer Magley in the dead doubles rubber.
In Thursday’s second round, the boys take on seventh seeds Austria while the girls face a tough encounter against fourth seeds Argentina.
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