While many of the pre-tournament favourites delivered as expected in their age groups, there were also some surprise performances over six thrilling days of competition at the Junior National Championships, proudly sponsored by American Express, which concluded in Mangaung, Free State on Monday.
In the Under-18 category, top seed Reuben de Klerk (representing North West) emerged triumphant, beating No 2 seed Connor Doig (KwaZulu-Natal) 6-3 6-4 in the boys final.
The girls final saw No 2 seed Korona Rugara (Gauteng) securing the national title, preventing somewhat of an upset by defeating No 9 seed Allegra van der Walt (North West) 6-3 6-3 in the trophy contest.
Van der Walt did well to outclass some fancied opposition on her way to the final, stunning top seed Jessica Schilz (Western Cape) in the quarterfinals and beating No 3 seed Milla Kotze (Western Cape) in the semifinals.
In the U-16 tournament, No 3 seed Dehan van Deventer (Western Cape) secured the boys title by edging out top seed Israel Dowie (Western Cape) 6-4 7-6 after a hard-fought battle for the national crown.
Among the girls, in a battle between the favourites, No 2 seed Roxy Bredenkamp (North West) beat top seed Alicia Taylor (Western Cape), ultimately wrapping up a convincing 6-4 6-0 win.
There was a surprise in the U-14 boys event, with unseeded Nicholas Kruger (Western Cape) beating No 3 seed Tristan Summers (Gauteng) 6-3 6-3 in the final.
Kruger played incredibly well throughout the tournament, beating four of the top-10 seeds on his way to the title.
In the girls tournament, No 2 seed Morakane Molaoa (Limpopo) outplayed Annabelle van Zyl (North West) with a 6-3 6-1 scoreline to claim the national trophy.
There were no surprises in the U-12 age group, with the top seeded boys and girls earning the national titles.
In the boys competition, Muller Jacobs (Mpumalanga) defeated No 2 seed Tshenolo Letsapa (Western Cape) 7-6(3) 6-1.
Among the girls, Wendy Modiba (Limpopo) beat No 6 seed Lea Snyman (Western Cape), earning a 6-0 6-0 victory in one of the most dominant performances of the championships.
South Africa's premier junior tennis tournament was held across six venues in Bloemfontein: Oranje Meisieskool, Free State Stadium, University of Free State, Grey and Eunice School, Oud Studente Sport Club, and Mundene Tennis Club. With over 500 entries, the six-day spectacle showcased the future stars of South African tennis.