Siblings Tuki and Sedi Jacobs were Namibia’s best performers at the ITF African Junior Tennis Championships which are currently underway in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Tuki Jacobs and his doubles partner Tunde Segodo from Benin, who were seeded second for the Boys Under 18 doubles competition, reached the semifinals where they were knocked out by an Egyptian pair.
After receiving a first round bye, Jacobs and Segodo beat Clayton Gilbertson of South Africa and Amadi Kagoma from Burundi 6-0, 6-4 in the second round.
In the quarterfinals they beat the seventh seeded Zimbabwean pair of Ronzai Saurombe and Tendai Tapfuma, to progress to the semifinals where they came up against the sixth seeded Karim Hossam and Mahmoud Zazou of Egypt.
Jacobs and Segodo won the first set 6-3, but the Egyptians took the second set 6-2 and then prevailed 11-9 in a titanic battle for the third set.
In the Boys Under 18 singles competition, Tuki Jacobs received a first round bye before losing a close second round match to Courtney Lock of Zimbabwe, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
Sedi Jacobs, who is still only 14 years old, showed great determination and a fighting spirit to reach the quarterfinals of the Girls Under 18 singles category.
In the first round she beat Patience Chawafambira of Zimbabwe 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 and in the second round the match once again went to three sets before she beat Jessica Simpson of South Africa 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
In the quarterfinals Jacobs lost 6-4, 6-2 to the fourth seed from South Africa, Madrie le Roux.
Sedi Jacobs and compatriot Kerstin Gressmann lost 6-1, 6-2 in the first round of the Girls Under 18 doubles against the second seeded Madrie le Roux and Ilze Hattongh of South Africa.
Gressmann reached the second round of the Girls Under 18 singles competition where she lost 6-1, 6-0 to the fifth seeded Ilze Hattingh.
Namibians Liniques Theron and Carita Moolman also teamed up in thre Girls Under 18 competition where they reached the second round.
In the first round they beat Thabile Tshatsedi and Vimbai Ugaro of Zimbabwe 6-3, 6-4, before losing 6-4, 6-2 to the top seeded Lynn Kiro and Theresa van Zyl of South Africa.
In the Girls Under 18 singles competition, Lyniques Theron reached the second round before losing 6-0, 6-4 to the second seeded Mai El Kadesh of Egypt, while Moolman lost her first round match 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to the seventh seeded Nour Tohamy of Egypt.