Latest news with #CurroCentreCourtSeries
IOL News
2 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Henning goes back-to-back in Hillcrest as Wimbledon dreams fuel his climb
Phillip Henning won back-to-back titles in the Curro Centre Court Series in Hillcrest. Image: Supplied As Jannik Sinner was cementing his place in tennis history with a maiden Wimbledon triumph on Sunday, South African Davis Cup player Phillip Henning was quietly building his own legacy on the courts of Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal — claiming back-to-back titles in the Curro Centre Court Series. The 24-year-old Bloemfontein-born, Stellenbosch-based player had to fight back from a set down to beat Poland's Filip Peliwo, the No 3 seed, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the ITF World Tennis Tour final. The win, coming just a week after another three-set victory over American Adhithya Ganesan at the same venue, marked Henning's fifth Curro title overall — and his second in as many Sundays. Valeria Bhunu of Zimbabwe won one of the two Curro Centre Court Series titles on offer in Hillcrest. Image: Supplied Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'Filip is a tough opponent, doesn't miss many balls, makes you work hard for every point,' Henning told Independent Media Sport. 'I also played him in the semi-finals last week and that was also three sets, so it was another battle. But I'm happy I found a way.' Rain delays on Saturday meant both the semi-finals and the final were played on the same day, adding a layer of fatigue and pressure to Henning's triumph. Yet he thrived, relying on powerful groundstrokes and adaptability in tricky, high-bounce conditions. 'The conditions are tricky — the balls are very bouncy — and I took a while to get used to it,' he said. 'This week I didn't feel at my best at times but I managed to dig deep and find that tough level. I've been playing well, serving well, so overall I'm happy with my game.' Henning's recent success is part of a steady rise since returning to South Africa from the US in 2023, where he played college tennis for the University of Georgia. Now competing on the Futures Tour under the banner of the Coppini Tennis Academy, he's beginning to eye a breakthrough onto tennis's biggest stages. His current ATP ranking hovered around the 400 mark before the Hillcrest tournaments. With Grand Slam qualifiers typically requiring a ranking of 240 or better, he knows there's still work to be done. 'A couple of spots that I still need to climb,' he said with a smile. 'But hopefully I'll get there one day.' He hopes to break into the Top 300 by the end of the year, and believes the exposure to higher-level Challenger tournaments and accumulating ATP points will continue to open doors. 'Just playing on the tour and getting into those Challenger events has opened my eyes and made me see that it is possible,' said Henning. 'It just requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice — but I'm here for it.' In the women's final, top seed Stephanie Judith Vischer of the Netherlands also mounted a comeback, defeating Russia's Kira Pavlova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Zimbabwe's Valeria Bhunu had won the previous event. For Henning, though, the focus is on the next step — and perhaps, in time, joining compatriot Lloyd Harris on the main stage of world tennis.
IOL News
30-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Rising junior tennis star Jahnie van Zyl keen to apply French lessons to KZN series
Rising junior tennis star Jahnie van Zyl is hoping to serve up a strong performance at the Curro Centre Court Series in Hillcrest, in the Upper Highway area of Durban, building on her recent debut performance at Roland Garros. The three-week series, in partnership with Tennis South Africa (TSA), features the men's and women's ITF Pro Tours. It begins with a W15 and M25 event from Monday, followed by a W35 and M15 competition next week, and ends with a W15 and M15 tournament from July 14 to 20. Players from around the globe will be competing for ATP and WTA ranking points and prize money. Van Zyl reached the quarterfinals of two of the weeks last year at Curro Hillcrest. She feels her recent Parisian sojourn in the qualifiers for the Roland Garros Junior Championships has helped her chances this year. 'It was a really amazing experience. I lost in the last round of qualies against a girl from Brazil. It was a tough match but I still learnt a lot,' the 16-year-old said. 'The first-round win was against the number one Australian girl under 16. It was really good win for me. 'It was a nice experience to see all the top women's players in real life, see how they play. I learnt so much from that trip and I'm really grateful that I got the opportunity to play there. 'After the French Open we went to Germany and played a few tournaments there. I lost in the quarter-finals in one of the tournaments and second round in one of the others. "It was still a good experience. I played against good players from around the world.' Danielle Chapman, who reached the round of 16 last year, at the age of 14, returns to the KwaZulu-Natal leg of the Centre Court Series with more match experience under her belt. Curro Hillcrest matric pupil Grace Koenig will also be in action, alongside Van Zyl's 18-year-old Billie Jean King Cup teammate Donna le Roux, who earned her first professional WTA points at last year's event.
