Latest news with #Montjane
Eyewitness News
6 days ago
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
Wimbledon: Kgothatso Montjane makes winning start to her singles campaign
JOHANNESBURG – Wheelchair tennis ace Kgothatso Montjane makes a winning start to her singles campaign at Wimbledon. The reigning Wimbledon doubles champion defeated British player Cornelia Oosthuizen 7-6(2), 6-2 in the first round on Tuesday. The Limpopo-born star's next opponent is 18-year-old French world No. 11 Ksenia Chasteau, who caused a major upset by dismantling second seed Aniek van Koot. READ MORE: Kgothatso Montjane and Donald Ramphadi make it to Roland Garros doubles finals Wheelchair tennis ace Kgothatso Montjane makes it to the Roland Garros semi-finals Roland Garros: Kgothatso Montjane grabs doubles Grand Slam Last month, Montjane, alongside her Japanese partner Yui Kamiji, won the French Open title on the clay of Roland Garros. Montjane was the first African wheelchair tennis player to compete at Wimbledon when she was handed a wild card for the Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament in London in 2018. In 2012, she made Wimbledon history by being the first black South African woman to reach the final at Wimbledon while reaching the doubles final as well. Montjane competed at her first Paralympics in Beijing (2008), then in London and Rio de Janeiro. In 2018, she became the first African wheelchair tennis player to compete in the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same calendar year.
Eyewitness News
6 days ago
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
South Africa's stars shine at Wimbledon: Ramphadi eyes quad doubles glory, Montjane makes semis
READ: Wimbledon: Kgothatso Montjane makes winning start to her singles campaign And in the women's singles Kgothatso Montjane continued her winning streak at Wimbledon, recovering from a set down to defeat France's Ksenia Chasteau 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 and secure her spot in the singles semi-finals. Montjane will now face Chinese fourth seed Ziying Wang for a place in the final. In the doubles, Montjane and her Japanese partner Yui Kamiji suffered a first-round defeat, falling 6-4, 7-6(4) to Chinese second seeds Xiaohui Li and Ziying Wang. Last month, Montjane, alongside her Japanese partner Yui Kamiji, won the French Open title on the clay of Roland Garros. Montjane was the first African wheelchair tennis player to compete at Wimbledon when she was handed a wild card for the Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament in London in 2018. In 2012, she made Wimbledon history by being the first black South African woman to reach the final at Wimbledon while reaching the doubles final as well.
The South African
12-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Kgothatso Montjane's Wimbledon 2025 ends, but the hunger lives on
South African wheelchair tennis star Kgothatso Montjane's dreams of winning another Wimbledon slam ended on Friday, but there is hunger for much more. Montjane's semi-final wheelchair singles match against China's Ziying Wang started off with an early lead for her opponent, who dictated the match from the start, until Montjane got her name on the scoreboard at 1-3, after 19 minutes of play. But the Chinese world No 4 dominated, marching through in straight sets to win 6-3, 7-5. Whilst the second set was tighter, it wasn't enough. Montjane made 11 double faults against Wang's three, and had missed opportunities. Even the South African's trademark slices didn't deter Wang, whose positioning at the back of the court gave the South African missed chances to drop shot and change the rhythm. Montjane also struggled with her serve toss. The unrelenting schedule for wheelchair players will not have helped, nor a lack of grass-court match practice. Montjane hasn't played any warm-up events on grass, missing Roehampton to rest her shoulder from an injury sustained at Roland Garros. Her singles and doubles run at Wimbledon meant no rest days. This is the brutal reality of the wheelchair tennis schedule as the tournament starts in the second week of Wimbledon, often meaning no days off. The four-time grand slam champion spoke to Amisha Savani about the fatigue with playing consecutive three-setter matches. 'I'm not getting any younger, so recovery is quite important, but I have no control over that (scheduling), it is just how the tournament is structured'. Reflecting on positive takeaways from her Wimbledon run, Montjane was optimistic. 'I still have it in me, this was just an example to show that I shouldn't give up soon, because there's still so much more.' Centre Court has a royal box, but Court 15 had tennis royalty in Montjane's box. Montjane's coach is Ilana Kloss, a former grand slam champion, having formerly won titles at Wimbledon, US Open and Roland Garros. Another former grand slammer, Rosie Casals, was cheering from the stands. Casals is was one of the 'Original 9' women's players who were instrumental in creating the Women's Tennis Association. Montjane said: 'having such people in your corner shows how much people really believe in you. No one can actually give me a better lesson of the game than those people who are sitting in the box.' Speaking about her own motivation, the South African star said: 'For me the reason why I'm doing this is to inspire other black kids back home, to never be scared to take up a sports like tennis, and I think we are proving it that you don't need to have it all, to actually make it here at the top. Anything can be achieved'. When Savani asked whether there was a particular place or person Montjane turns to for comfort and a re-set after a grand slam loss, she credited Ilana Kloss. 'One thing she says to me on a day like this is, 'take it as feedback, because feedback is not a failure'. 'I've been living by those words, because whenever I lose, I think it doesn't hit me as much as it used to. Those are the words I Iive by'. Amisha Savani is reporting exclusively for The South African from the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon . Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
11-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Montjane bows out in Wimbledon semis but Ramphadi still in with title shot
Kgothatso Montjane was knocked out of the Wimbledon semii-finals on Friday. Kgothatso Montjane bowed out of Wimbledon on Friday with a 3-6 5-7 loss to No 4 seed Ziying Wang of China that ended the South African wheelchair tennis legend's hopes of adding a sixth Grand Slam crown. South Africa's only remaining title hopeful is quad player Donald Ramphadi, who will feature in Saturday's doubles final with British partner Gregory Slade. Montjane had gone into the grass-court Grand Slam as the defending doubles champion with Yui Kamiji of Japan. The reigning French Open champions bowed out in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, however, losing to the Chinese duo of Wang and Li Xiaohui. On Friday, Wang also ended the 39-year-old South African ace's shot at a first Grand Slam singles title. Montjane only managed to win 34% of points on her second serve, and that was probably the biggest letdown for the veteran. Wang also hit more winners as she booked a place in the final against doubles partner Li Xiaohui. Montjane had booked her place in the Wimbledon semi-final with a gritty 3-6 6-3 6-3 quarter-final victory over France's Ksenia Chasteu.
The South African
11-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Kgothatso Montjane makes a quantum leap to reach Wimbledon semi-finals
On Thursday, South African ladies' wheelchair player Kgothatso Montjane gave Court 17 fans a masterful display of all the above, when faced with being a set down to Ksenia Chasteau. Frenchwoman Chasteau was a wildcard entry, but has an impressive resume. Last month, she reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros. She also won the junior title at her home slam in 2024. Having never played her before, these were unchartered waters for the world No 7, who struggled to find her rhythm in the first set before turning things around. Within 29 minutes, Chasteau was up 5-1 in the opening set, dictating the pace, playing aggressively with body serves, eventually winning the set in 37 minutes. After Montjane told Amisha Savani after the match, that she struggled with unforced errors, the timing of her serve toss and with the uneven surface at the back of Court 17. Chasteau's aggressiveness worked for a while, winning her the first set 6-3. But in winning 3 games, Montjane had also shown Chasteau that she was changing the momentum. The South African star started serving more aggressively on her first serve, taking the pace off Chasteau, as encouraged courtside by her coach Ilana Kloss. A former grand slam champion, Kloss brings much to Montjane's game – with experience from winning Wimbledon, US Open and Roland Garros titles under her belt. Slowly, the chinks in Chasteau's armour started surfacing, as the unforced errors crept up. Down 2-5 in the second set, Chasteau's frustration was palpable in the changeover, when she threw her notebook into the court in dismay. The notes were no longer working, as Montjane was changing the narrative. Kloss's encouraging courtside words: 'first serve up and out' and 'every point, every point' were sinking in, and working. As Billie Jean King once said, 'champions adjust'. It was that adaptability that helped the four-slam winner turn the match around, and win (3-6, 6-3, 6-3). There are two noteworthy reasons why Montjane's progress thus far is so commendable. Her arrival at this year's Wimbledon was without grass court match practice. She skipped the Roehampton tournament, to rest a shoulder injury sustained at Roland Garros. Particularly commendable are Montjane's physical adaptations around her disability. The South African star's winning backhand cross-court returns with extra topspin, gives no indication that both hands have missing fingers. Gripping her wheelchair and racquet requires adaptations. Montjane was born with amniotic band syndrome, a congenital disorder of her hands and foot. One foot was amputated when she was 12, and parts of some fingers in both hands are missing due to a wrapping of the umbilical cord around her finger at birth. Montjane's right index finger for example, is heavily taped up. Her racquet grip has also been shaved with a groove to allow her to grip it. Kgothatso Montjane's inspiration knows no bounds. Every day, she continues to show us how important it is to adapt to every day, and every situation. Kgothatso Montjane faces world No 4 Ziying Wang of China in the ladies wheelchair singles semi-final on Court 15 on Friday. Amisha Savani is reporting exclusively for The South African from the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon . Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
