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Marvellous Marcus

Portia Mlilo
YOUNG CHAMP: Semane (L) with his vanquished opponent

Victory in Angola for rising tennis star

Up against international players older and more experienced than him, Marcus Semane showed the heart of a champion in Angola to triumph at the recent U/14 ITF/CAF Tennis Championships.

The 12-year-old overcame home favourite Jolino Simao in a tense final, needing a third set tie-break to beat the Angolan 6-3, 0-6, 10-6 and claim the title.

With the victory came 300 precious ranking points, taking the Francistown-based athlete’s African standing up to 33rd, making him Botswana’s 2nd highest ranked U/14 player, with only the French-based Ntungamili Raguin, who sits 11th, ahead of him.

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Highlighting the significance of this, Botswana Junior Team Coach, Dimpho Legoreng told Voice Sport it puts Semane in a great position going forward.

“It’s a big deal! By next year, when he plays the African Junior Championships he will be seeded. When you have a seeding you stand a better chance of going further in the draw because you tend to face weaker players early on,” explained Legoreng.

The coach was full of praise for his young charge for keeping his cool in the heat of Luanda and sticking to the game plan.

“He handled the pressure well. I kept on telling Semane to keep on making many fast shots. We explored his [Simao’s] weaknesses, pushing him back, forward and going in quickly for a drive volley. The amount of work we have been putting in is working towards great achievements,” predicted Legoreng.

For his part, the hero of the day, Semane admitted he was slightly shook after dropping the second set without winning a single game but managed to compose himself for the do-or die tie-breaker.

“I just remained calm, focused and followed the coach’s instructions. I also pushed myself to do better and look for opportunities to close the match. I made it,” declared the Clifton School student, who turns 13 later this month.

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Semane has no time to dwell on his Angolan accolades, however, as this week he joins his U/14 teammates in Johannesburg, for a Tennis South Africa tournament.

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