Harare — Promising Zimbabwe Under 12 tennis player Karen Muswere grabbed the girls' singles title in the final of the Confederation of African Tennis Southern Africa 12 and Under Circuit tournament at Harare Sports Club yesterday.

The tournament featured six African countries - Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland, Mauritius, Malawi and Namibia. Muswere beat Karen Machisa 6-4, 6-3 to win the tournament that started on Sunday.

Although at the start of the tournament it was predictable that Muswere and Machisa would be in the final it, however, remained undecided who would be crowned the champion.

Muswere's victory yesterday did not come easy as she had to endure the torrid moments of playing someone of an equal measure of strength and skill. An all-Zimbabwe semi-final had been decided on Monday, after, initially, all the participating players were to be put into two pools of five players each with the top two players from each pool advancing to the semi- finals.

The Zimbabwean quartet of Muswere, Machisa, Rumbidzai Ugaro and Rufaro Chireva progressed from their pools. Their coach Richmore Murape was excited by the teenagers overall performance by his players. "We have surpassed our target as a team," he said.

"We only wanted to reach at least the semi-finals as we build on a team for the future but it appears that we have the best crop of players who can even rich the final," he said. In the boys category Mauritius' Dean Dulthummon beat compatriot Hemanshu Rambojun 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 to walk away as the champion.

Dulthummon denied Zimbabwe's top seed Keith Mwashita to proceed beyond the semi-finals on Monday after a 7-6, 6-4 win while Alosha Chikanda's dreams for the final were crushed by Rambojun who beat him 6-1, 6-2. In the girls doubles Machisa teamed up with Muswere to overcome Ugaro and Chireva in straight sets 6-2,6-1.