A team of nine South African wheelchair tennis players have qualified to compete in the 2010 World Team Cup to be held in Turkey from May 3 to 9.

Approximately 300 of the most talented players from 33 nations gather from all corners of the globe to compete in the tournament to be played in four divisions — men, women, quads, and juniors.

It will be SA’s sixth games, and Wheelchair Tennis South Africa (WTSA) chairperson, director and performance coach, Holger Losch, says this will be the strongest team ever and hopes are high.

In the men’s division, South Africa’s top ranked player, double amputee Sydwell Mathonsi, will be accompanied by three teammates in up and coming 19 year-old Evans Maripa, who won gold at the Asia Pacific Youth Para Games in 2009, Pretoria’s Patrick Selepe, a single amputee and post polio Desmond Monyamane from Polokwane.

The women’s team will be spearheaded by Kgothatso Montjane, SA’s golden girl who recently won the women’s title at the SA Open beating British competitor Louise Hunt. She will be supported by Refilwe Mooketsi, and Rose van der Meer.

The impressive quad line-up includes Lucas Sithole and Steven Kekai.

Sithole is the number one quad in SA and has been ranked as high as 13 in the world, while Kekai is currently ranked 33.

Managing the women’s team is WTSA’s Losch and wheelchair bound coach Craig Fairall, a previously top 10 ranked player in the world, will be accompanying the men’s team, with coach Marius Masencamp accompanying the quads.

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SA wheelchair tennis players head to Turkey

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