• tennis

Dowie’s giant-killing run delivers ITF J60 double

• 20 Hours Ago

Namibian rising tennis talent Israel Dowie rose to the occasion when it mattered most at the J60 Pretoria, stunning older and higher-seeded players to come away with the singles and doubles titles last weekend.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) U18 Junior World Tennis Tour success in South Africa saw the 15-year-old stack up four career titles on the global circuit, taking his tally to one J30 doubles title, two J60 singles titles and one J60 doubles title.

An ITF J30 and J60 are junior international tennis tournament grades, with “J” standing for junior and the numbers representing the amount of world ranking points awarded to the winners at the events.

Dowie’s first ITF title was the J30 Windhoek doubles crown he won with clubmate Oluhle Senti of South Africa in April, before he followed up with a maiden J60 singles title at the J60 Windhoek last month.

His run to completing the J60 singles and doubles double saw him gain direct entry into the main draw as the third seed at the event, which began with group-stage matches.

There, he was drawn against all-South African opponents and beat them in straight sets, defeating Jamie Roux 6-3, 7-5, Frederik Johannes Rheeder 6-4, 7-6(4), and Mpho Bowers 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals.

The last eight saw him tested by American David Beckles, who took the first set before the Namibian found his rhythm and got back into the match to win comfortably 5-7, 6-2, 6-0.

Beating top seeds

Dowie needed to dig deep in the semi-final and final, as both opponents, Hong Kong’s Alex Lap Hang Hui and Australia’s Connor McEvoy, were seeded above him at first and second respectively, with both players also two years older.

The first encounter saw Hui refuse to go out without a fight, as despite losing the first set, he forced Dowie into a tense second-set tiebreak before ultimately falling 6-4, 7-6(9).

In the final against McEvoy, Dowie once again impressed to come away with a dominant 6-1, 6-4 victory to claim the singles title, before returning for the doubles final on the same day.

The doubles title run with partner Senti saw them pushed to a deciding match tiebreak in the first round by Brazilian Rafael Franca and his Zimbabwean partner Anotipa Chigudu, before winning 6-2, 4-6, [10-6] to advance to the quarter-finals.

There, they beat South Africans Frederik Johannes Rheeder and Luka van Niekerk 6-2, 6-0, before overcoming McEvoy and his South African partner Borys Alexander 6-4, 6-3 to book their place in the final.

The title match saw them storm to victory in another deciding match tiebreak, emerging champions with a 6-3, 4-6, [10-8] win over Hui and France’s Thomas Coppi.

‘Something I’ll never forget’

Dowie told Sport Wrap that claiming the ITF J60 singles and doubles trophies on the same day is “something I will never forget.”

“All the hard work, sacrifices and long hours on court make moments like this very special. It’s a big milestone for me, but it’s also a motivation to keep improving.

“I’m grateful to my family, coaches and everyone who has supported me along the way,” he said.

Before claiming the double in South Africa, Dowie also competed in the first J60 Pretoria, held from 26 to 31 May, but lost in the semi-final to Senti after a tense three-setter, which favoured his doubles partner 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

Mentally tough encounters

He admitted that missing out on that trophy was mentally tough for him and reminded him of the J60 Windhoek, where he also came second-best to Senti to miss out on the J30 singles title, losing 6-4, 6-4.

“Missing out on the [first J60 Pretoria trophy] reminded me of what happened in Namibia, where I felt I could have done much better in the first week.

“I had to keep reminding myself to focus on the present and that the second week was a new opportunity,” he said.

That reset proved decisive, as Dowie said he did not come into the second tournament expecting to go all the way in both singles and doubles. He admitted that his mentality was one of the biggest reasons he won, as he fought for every point.

Dowie ascribed his giant-killing ability to reading his opponents’ body language, sensing when they were under pressure and attacking harder in crucial moments when they dropped their guard.

“I tried not to think about rankings or seedings, but kept [my discipline] and constantly applied pressure until something gave, and fortunately it worked,” he said.

Dowie noted that his success is backed by “incredible support” from his family, coaches, sponsors and everyone around him.

“My parents have made huge sacrifices to help me chase my dreams and my coaches have played a massive role in my development, both on and off the court,” he said.

Achievements require sacrifice

Dowie said his fighting spirit was shaped from a young age by his father, Duane, who taught him that achieving something special requires sacrifice.

He recalled a Friday night practice session when he was about six or seven years old, where his father challenged him to show “what is inside” when times are tough.

“Everyone is mostly at home relaxing and watching movies at that time of the night. But he took me out because he wanted me to understand that life isn’t always easy.

“Looking back, those tough moments taught me resilience, discipline and how to keep fighting when things aren’t going my way,” he remarked.

He said those lessons have shaped the player and person he is today. They are a big reason why he never stops competing, even when matches get difficult.

Dowie will not be competing at this week’s J60 Pretoria, which began yesterday and will conclude on Sunday, choosing instead to celebrate the victory by spending time with his family, coaches and team.

“Achievements like this don’t happen every day. But at the same time, tennis teaches you to keep moving forward because there is always another challenge waiting. For now, I’ll take confidence from this result, get back to work and continue improving.”

His father confirmed that they are looking into his next tournaments being in Europe. Companies and individuals who would like to sponsor his journey can reach his father on WhatsApp at +27 68 591 0267.

– [email protected]