Australian tennis player absolute champion of Standard Bank Open
The Australian tennis player, Marc Polmans (696 on ATP rankings) received the trophy as the absolute champion of the 6th edition of the Futures Standard Bank Open,after winning in the final held on 19th,in Maputo his fellow countryman, Jeremy Beale (1021 ranking ATP), by two sets, by 6-1, 6-1.
Marc Polmans had also won the first Future, over the South African tennis player Lloyd Harris, (number 311 on ATP ranking) in a hard fought match by two sets to one, 4/6, 6/2 and 7/5.
Still in the 6th edition of the Standard Bank Open,the team Ribeiro/Martins won the first place in senior doubles, while the tennis player Armindo Nhavene Jr. won in juniors under-18.
In single ladies (PRO) Claudia Sumaia ranked first after beating the South African tennis player that lives in Maputo, Ohmar Fernandez, by two sets to one, 6-4, 4-6 and 6-2.
The final, in juniors both under-14 and doubles, was won by tennis players Ricardo Jorge Jacinto and the team of the Zimbabweans brothers Benjamin and Courtney Lock, respectively.
The tennis player Jossefa Simao became champion of the category Top Moz, having defeated Hercílio Seda by 6-4 and 6-1. The team Luca Figueiredo/Salomao Santos won over Edilson Rosa/Nelo Maposse in under-12 doubles.
Making an assessment of the 6th edition of the competition, the managing director from Standard Bank, Chuma Nwokocha, said he was pleased with the high level of organization of the tournament, as well as the competitive quality of the tennis players.
“This year, we integrated in the tournament, a workshop for local umpires, which may contribute to the improvement of the level of competition, particularly of national athletes.
I want to congratulate the Mozambican athletes who managed to qualify for the Futures”, he said, reiterating the bank’s commitment to continue its support for the development of national sport.
It should be noted that as part of the Standard Bank Open, the organization, held on the previous Friday, a workshop for journalists regarding tennis, for a better approach of the contents on this kind of sport.
The course, held at the premises of the Olympic Committee of Mozambique in Maputo, was provided by the official of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Ian Smith.
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Alberto Nkutumula said, in the beginning of the second Future, that the Standard Bank Open is a great opportunity for national tennis players to interact with tennis players from other parts of the world and share experiences.
“We want more children to practice tennis, a sport that is healthy and it mentally helps athletes”, said the minister.