Two talented teenagers wrote themselves into South African tennis history this month, as they become the country’s first players to ever qualify for the WTA Future Stars tournament, to be held in Shenzhen, China later this year.
Donna le Roux and Lilitha Ndungane were the duo who won their country’s first WTA Future Stars qualifying event, which was held in Bloemfontein in early May at the Free State Tennis Stadium.
Le Roux was victorious in the Under-14s tournament, defeating third seed Rune van Wyk in the final.
“This week was very tough, and I had to put up a fight to reach the final. It’s never easy, so I had to do my best,” le Roux said after the match.
Meanwhile the Under-16s category belonged to Ndungane, overcoming Kaitlyn Ramduth in the title match, who said: “I really played a tough match today against Kaitlyn. I think she was a tough opponent, but I managed to outdo her and played my best.”
Le Roux and Ndungane will be joined by players from over 25 countries and regions in China at the WTA Future Stars tournament in November, which is held in the lead-up to the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, honoring the Top 8 singles players of 2021. In addition to the competition itself, WTA Future Stars players also benefit from a diverse off-court program including development seminars and mentoring from professionals.
