Taulo and Luhanga are Presidential champions
Epic battles for glory in Presidential Lawn Tennis Championships national encounters ended on Monday at Blantyre Sports Club (BSC) with Julius Taulo and Mary Luhanga as victors in men and ladies’ categories respectively.
Taulo sprouted to the top of the rankings after demeaning his fiercest rival on the domestic scene, James Matewere, with a 7-5, 6-1,6-1 thrashing in the best-of-five finals whereas Luhanga won 6-4, 6-4 against Patricia Matola.
Matewere took his opponent head-on in the first set, but he nail-bitingly threw away five break points in the second, before finally running out of steam in the final set as Taulo, who banked on his stealth fore-hand technique, produced a master-class performance to deservedly take the crown and a K100 000 prize.
“I was really tired. Unlike my opponent, I had little time to rest before this final as I was just coming from a semi-final match,” said Matewere, who beat Wilson Paul 7-6, 6-3 in the semis.
The ladies’ final seemed to be less thrilling as Luhanga and Matola avoided aggressive attacks for fear of making blunders. No one could blame them because a K70 000 winners’ purse was at stake.
The two wrestled for over two hours, but in the end it was Luhanga who walked out of the tennis court smiling.
Paul earned a walkover in a third-placed encounter after his opponent, U- based Anthony Kainga, pulled out with a muscle crump. Tadala Kandulu emerged third in the ladies’ section following a 6-4 victory against Madalitso Nyondo.
After the event that drew the best 16 male and female athletes from each region, Lawn Tennis Association of Malawi (LTAM) president Francis Mwansa said they had observed good talent, but most players needed a hard-working spirit.
