On Friday, 8 of our senior tennis players travelled to Burgersdorp to take part in the Van Niekerk & Koen tennis tournament, where they competed against Burgersdorp High School, Cradock High School, De Aar High School, and Hoërskool Jim Fouché from Bloemfontein.
Having looked forward to this fixture since the start of term, our players were excited and in good spirit. This translated into magnificent matchplay as the players started off with doubles and then moving into mixed doubles. After an intense day on the courts, Union was in a very good position, claiming victory over Burgersdorp and Jim Fouché, whilst drawing against Cradock. After De Aar High School took the trophy last year, our players knew their fifth round on Saturday would be a tough one. However, their determination and skilful tactics on the court pulled them through, beating De Aar with 6 matches to 2, making Union the winners of the doubles and mixed doubles tournament.
The final round of the tournament was completed with singles matches deciding the overall result. Although the team had shown strong performance in earlier rounds, the players struggled to maintain the same level of competitiveness during the last round. Union ended the tournament with a 3rd place overall.
Despite the disappointing results, the tournament provided a valuable learning opportunity. Improving mental preparation and confidence in individual play will be important areas of focus for future tournaments.






