The South African tennis player Kris Van Wyk won, on Sunday afternoon, October 9th, the first singles Future of the 10th edition of the Standard Bank Open, held at the Tunduro Garden Courts, after beating the Zimbabwean Mehluli Sibanda, by two sets to one (5/7, 6/3 6/0). 

Despite the skill shown in the first set, the Zimbabwean did not have enough arguments to counter the rise of his opponent, who used the first set to review his game strategy. And it worked! Kris Van Wyk knew how to exploit Mehluli Sibanda's weak points, and was able to celebrate the victory in the last two sets, and consequently the match.

In men's doubles, the duo consisting of Alec Beckley and Mehluli Sibanda beat, in the final, Egor Tsarapkin and Guy Orly Iradukunda by two sets to nil (6/1, 7/5).

In the interview, Kris Van Wyk considered that the victory resulted from the concentration and focus he had during the match, especially after losing the first set, even though he considered that both players had the conditions to win.

"I think we were prepared to win the match, although the pressure was on my side in the first set. There was a phase when I felt both of us were tired, not to mention that he had a very tough week, played intense matches. But I tried to be strong and focused to win," he said.

This was the first Future of the 2022 edition of the Standard Bank Open, the biggest tennis tournament and the only international competition of the sport that takes place in the country, organized by Standard Bank, in partnership with the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Mozambican Tennis Federation (FMT) and the Maputo Tennis Club (CTM).

The quality of the organization and of the athletes, as well as the intensity of the games, deserved a positive evaluation from Standard Bank's Chairman of the Board, Tomaz Salomão, who explained that the tournament is part of the support that the bank has given to sports, and aims to massify the practice of this modality in the country, where it is still considered an elite sport.

"Tournaments of this nature allow national and amateur tennis players to have the opportunity to see athletes who are well ranked in the world and who participate in major events.

This makes the sport grow in the country and is a contribution for us to look at the potential we have and grow as a country that practices tennis.

It is a process that is conquering children and young people, and it is a way to massify the practice of tennis," Tomaz Salomão emphasized.

By the way, the president of the Mozambican Tennis Federation, Jonas Alberto, highlighted the involvement of the bank in the massification of the sport and internationalization of the national athletes through the Standard Bank Open, which is, today, recognized as one of the main events not only in the region, but also in the continent.

"We were recognized, during the last meeting of the General Assembly of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), as a reference in the organization of tournaments of this kind. We have to thank Standard Bank for being with us for over 10 years, and for believing in our vision and policy of massification of the sport", he stressed.

It is important to highlight that the Top Moz, competition for players residing in Mozambique, began on Saturday, and the second Future will also be played between October 11th and 16th.