Mozambique’s Bruno Nhavene shines at Standard Bank Open 2019’s first Future

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Mozambique’s Bruno Nhavene shines at Standard Bank Open 2019’s first Future

7:46 CAT | 12 Nov 2019

Photo: A Verdade

The ninth edition of the Standard Bank Open’s ‘Future’ feature, the largest tennis event and only international competition organised in Mozambique, ended on Sunday, November 10th, at the Jardim Tunduro Courts in Maputo City.

This year’s edition stood out for having a Mozambican athlete in a final – Bruno Nhavene, who partnered Australian Jake Delaney in the men’s doubles.

Despite their effort and teamwork, the pair lost 6-4, 6-3 to Zimbabwean brothers Benjamin and Courtney Lock in a highly competitive match on Saturday.

The presence of 17-year-old Nhavene, who trains at a high-performance centre in Morocco, in the finals is, according to Standard Bank, the result of investment in tennis, particularly in talent-spotting and organisation. This Standard Bank competition provides Mozambican tennis players with the opportunity to play and gain experience with international athletes.

“For us, this is further proof that it is worth investing in tennis in Mozambique. We sowed a seed that germinated. We watched a well-played game and a top-quality Mozambican athlete. We will continue to invest, so that, instead of just one, we have several Mozambicans competing internationally,” Standard Bank’s Director of Marketing and Communication Alfredo Mucavela said, adding that he hoped to see a Mozambican athlete win the competition someday.

President of the Mozambican Tennis Federation (FMT) Valige Tauabo said he was proud of Nhavene’s achievement, because he came from the training classes, as well as competing in the Standard Bank Open qualification categories.

“In the previous editions of the competition, he participated in the qualifying rounds, and today he achieved this result, which summarises our goal: to discover talents and bring them to the fore. It is reason to be proud as a country and as two institutions that organise this competition, namely the Mozambican tennis Federation (FMT) and Standard Bank,” Tauabo said, giving a positive assessment of the first ‘Future’ tournament, highlighting the great interest in the competition and the competitiveness that characterised the matches.

After the match, Bruno Nhavene gave due credit to the opposing duo, Benjamin and Courtney Lock, who have participated in Maputo tennis competitions and regularly taken podium in the Standard Bank Open. Nhavene promised to make an even greater effort in the second Future, which starts on Tuesday, November 12.

“It was a good final, but we could have done better,” Nhavene said. “They are excellent tennis players and have been playing for years. We failed at some of the most important junctures, but I am happy and hope to improve my performance in singles and doubles.”

Spaniard David Perez (number 561 in the ATP ranking) was the winner of the first Future men’s singles, beating Zimbabwean Takanyi Garanganga (number 525 in the ATP ranking) 7-5, 6-3. Perez, who is taking part in the competition for the first time, was happy with his performance, especially having disputed the trophy with such a strong player.

“I know Takanyi Garanganga, having played him twice. The match was intense, and I can say that I was happy with the way it went,” the athlete said, praising Mozambique for organising a quality competition of this size.

In addition to the second Future, the national championships also start on Tuesday, November 12 , and include men’s and women’s singles, men doubles, and matches for juniors under 14, boys and girls under 18, veterans over 35, veterans over 45, and veterans’ doubles.

Source: A Verdade