Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana’s 20-year-old tennis sensation based in California, Ekua Youri, made a triumphant return to Botswana by claiming both the women’s singles and doubles titles at the 2025 Botswana Open Championships in Gaborone over the weekend.
After several years away from the local courts, Youri reasserted her dominance at the National Tennis Centre, capping a flawless campaign with a doubles win alongside Zimbabwe’s Chelsea Chakanyuka.
“I’m happy with my performance,” she said in a sideline interview. “It was good. It’s just a shame about the draw on the women’s side. However, this tournament was really good for me because I used it as a build-up for future competitions.”
Long-awaited return
Youri, who developed her game both in Botswana and abroad, described competing at home again as deeply meaningful. “It was finally exciting and great to compete back home,” she said.
“It’s been a while. Our tennis is growing, and is really great to witness. I’ve been seeing these competitions in Botswana on social media and now I got a chance to be a part of it again.”
Though she swept both titles, Youri remains focused on improvement. “For my performance, it was good even though I feel I wasn’t great on serves,” she admitted. “But as I said, it was a build-up, and I’ll correct that going forward.”
Calls for more female participation
She also called for more female participation in the sport. “It would be much greater and more fun if we had more women competing,” she said.
To young players, her advice is simple: “Believe in yourself and work hard. And I thank BTA for this competition.”
For More News And Analysis About Botswana Follow Africa-Press
