Helsinki, Finland – As they say in the classics, the older you get, the better and wiser you get and this was so true for the South African Senior tennis team who impressed at the ITF Senior World Individual Championships which ended in Helsinki, Finland over the weekend.
The best result came in the 60 + age group doubles where Ronnie van ‘t Hof of Cape Town and his Pretoria partner, Marius Genis won the gold medal beating Australians Stephen Myers and Stephen Packham 6-3 6-4 in the final.
South Africa won a silver medal in the 60 + age group mixed doubles when Karin Boshoff and Stephen Bryant of Kwa-Zulu Natal to reach the final. Ross Persons and Tina Kawarsky of USA, seeded four beat fifth seeded Boshoff and Bryant 6-3 3-6 10-7 for gold.
In the same age group, Capetonians Japie Klaasen and Jenny Cerff reached the mixed doubles semi-finals.
In the singles 55 + age group Elna Botha of Gauteng Central reached the quarter-finals where she lost to second seed American Susan Wright but upset sixth seeded Wanda Howes of Australia the third round.
Other doubles quarter finalists were Elna Botha and her Australian doubles partner Kerry Lonergan (55 + age group), Lynn van ‘t Hof (WP) and Annelie Celliers (GN) and well as Jenny Cerff and Karin Boshoff (both 55 + age group).
