With just two weeks left before the Australian Open wheelchair tennis action gets underway, South Africa’s top ranked women’s player Kgothatso Montjane has arrived in Melbourne to fine tune her game.
Playing at a world ranking of Number 6, Montjane is among the star-studded line-up to watch at Melbourne Park.
“I feel great and look forward to the competition.” – SA no.1 Kgothatso Monjtane
“It is always nice to arrive early to give yourself time to prepare, hit some balls, get used to the weather and the timezone,” said Montjane on her early arrival.
The prestigious opening Grand Slam on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour will be staged from 23-26 January.
The 32-year-old Montjane who made strides in 2018 reaching the Wimbledon and US Open semi-final rounds will play in two preparatory tournaments prior to the opening Grand Slam of the season.
She will take part in the Bendigo Open, an International Tennis Federation (ITF) Super Series event from 9-13 January followed by the Melbourne Open, an ITF level 1 tournament to be staged from 15-19 January to make sure she is in prime condition.
The left-hander who was born with a congenital birth defect earned praises and admiration for her fighting spirit at Wimbledon reaching the semi-final round and becoming the first South African black woman to play in the grass court event.
She has put some unforgettable performances reaching at least semi-finals in two of the four slams last year. She reached the Australian Open quarter-final round in 2013, 2016, 2018 and she will be hoping to go beyond the quarter-final round stage this year.
Montjane has been playing the best tennis since the last season which saw her incrementally rising up the rankings reaching her career high ranking of number 5 in the world.
Photo 1 caption: South Africa’s top ranked women’s player Kgothatso Montjane has arrived well ahead of tome in Melbourne, to fine-tune her game ahead of the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour in Australia. Photo: Anna Vasalaki
With editing by gsport
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