Liné Greyling of Bloemfontein claimed the national girl’s under-18 title at the Growthpoint Junior Nationals in the City of Roses. The 17-year-old Greyling, who is in matric at Hoër Meisieskool Oranje, claimed the national title beating Gauteng North’s Nadia Gouws in the final with a straight-sets victory.
The first set was a tightly contested affair, but the second set was won with relative ease by Greyling for a comprehensive 7-5 and 6-2 victory.
The win means that an Oranje player has won a national title at the tournament for a second year in a row after Donna le Roux won the under-14 title in 2021.
The boy’s under-18 final was won by the unseeded Connor Thomas Doig of Central Gauteng after coming back from a set down to beat Rohan Loubscher of the Western Cape 4-6, 6-3 and 6-2.
Last year’s under-14 champion, Le Roux, who was seeded second, also did really well this year on her home courts; however, she lost in the final.
Playing in the under-16 age group for girls, Le Roux advanced to the final, but was beaten 6-3 and 6-2 by the top-seeded MariLouise van Zyl of North West. While Le Roux was not able to claim back-to-back national titles, she can hold her head high and she will still be able to compete in the same age group next year. – MORGAN PIEK
