Zambia’s junior tennis team delivered strong and inspiring performances at the ITF/CAT Southern Africa Junior Championships, which concluded on January 17 in Gaborone, Botswana. The tournament, hosted at the National Tennis Centre, featured Southern Africa’s top young tennis talents, and Zambia rose to the challenge, finishing fifth overall out of 11 participating nations.
The team’s performance reflected steady improvement, resilience, and growing competitiveness across all age categories. Zambia’s Under-16 girls emerged as the standout performers, finishing fourth out of eight teams and narrowly missing out on a podium finish. Other team event results included the Under-14 boys finishing fifth out of 10 teams, Under-16 boys sixth out of nine, and Under-14 girls sixth out of eight.
In the individual competitions, combined performances from the Under-14 boys, Under-16 boys, and Under-16 girls secured a fifth-place overall finish, while the Under-14 girls placed sixth, demonstrating a spirited showing against strong regional opposition. These results underline Zambia’s steady progress on the junior tennis scene and highlight the impact of recent development programmes implemented by the Zambia Tennis Association.
The Zambia Tennis Association expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts, the National Olympic Committee of Zambia, the National Sports Council of Zambia, partners, sponsors, and parents for their continued support. Special recognition was given to the coaches, team officials, and support staff whose dedication ensured players were well prepared both on and off the court.
Team Zambia returns home motivated and encouraged by their performances. The experience gained at the ITF/CAT Southern Africa Junior Championships provides a solid foundation as preparations continue for future regional and international competitions, with players poised to build on their growing skills, resilience, and competitive edge.