CENTURION, May 26, 2022 (Tennis South Africa Press Release)
Three young tennis talents from South Africa have been selected to attend an international BNP Paribas Young Talent activation at the French Open in Paris on Saturday, 28th May.
The three players travelling to the international event include Simphiwe Ngwenya, Heike Janse van Vuuren and Devin Badernhorst. Among them is Fifteen-year-old Ngwenya from Cato Crest township outside Durban who has honed his talent in the BNP Paribas RCS Rising Star Tennis Programme. After taking up the sport in 2016, he was one of the outstanding performers in the second edition of the competition in 2021.
Speaking about his impending travels, Ngwenya said: “This event is another amazing opportunity for my future in tennis and I feel very fortunate to be chosen to represent South Africa in this programme thanks to the sponsorship of BNP Paribas. I look forward to meeting some of the best young talent from across the world and testing my skills against them.”
Outside of the Rising Star competition, Ngwenya’s rapid progress resulted in the youth prospect reaching the semi-finals of the 2021 Growthpoint Junior Nationals and the quarterfinals of the KwaZulu-Natal Growthpoint Super 8 tournament. With tremendous potential, Ngwenya has also been able to work on his growing skillset as part of the Growthpoint Development Centre programme at Westridge Park Stadium.
Speaking about BNP Paribas’ worldwide sponsorship of tennis, and in particular the Bank’s support of grassroots tennis in South Africa, Kieran Fahy, CEO BNP Paribas South Africa CIB said: “This trip is indicative of our mission to nurture tennis through our nation-wide school’s tennis tournament. It’s especially rewarding for us to see young players grow throughout the journey of the competition and represent their country on a global stage to showcase the wealth and diversity of sporting talent in South Africa.
“BNP Paribas is a proud sponsor of tennis globally, we’re proud to build synergies between our programmes locally and provide young players with the opportunities they deserve. I wish each young player the best of luck, and we’ll be cheering for them from South Africa.”
