The country's richest tennis tournament, the K1.3 million Banja La Mtsogolo Youth Championship has been oversubscribed with over 100 players registering for the three-day event, which accommodates 80 players only.
The Lawn Tennis Association of Malawi (LTAM) is still trying to figure out how to come up with a draw of 80 players from 100 plus players. LTAM head coach Thomson Mtengula said in an interview that the tournament, set to begin on 7th November at the Blantyre Sports Club, has received huge response mainly because of the raise in sponsorship as well as the absence of other junior tournaments.
"It was expected that we would have a big number of players registered but the response has just been overwhelming and we do not know how we will come up with the 80 figure because we do not want to prolong this event," said Mtengula.
He added that players from all the four cities have confirmed participation. BLM's head of marketing Chifundo Malunga said in a separate interview that they have trust in LTAM that they will organise a successful event. "We have never doubted their capabilities and that is why we have maintained our relationship for seven years now. We too just hope rain will not spoil everything that has been planned," said Malunga.
Defending ladies champion Regina Dembo said in an interview that she is more than ready to defend her title. "I want to set another record in the ladies category," said Dembo.
