‘You either win, or you learn’.

It's an adage that will be familiar to numerous professional tennis players across the globe and, as South Africa takes centre stage on the ITF World Tennis Tour this week as host of W60 Pretoria, rarely has the old trope felt more apt.

The African continent is not exactly brimming with top-level opportunities for female tennis players, which is why the value of this week’s W60 Pretoria tournament to the five South African teenagers that competed in the main draw shouldn't be measured in their results.

All five – including 2022 Wimbledon girls’ quarter-finalist Isabella Kruger – fell in straight sets. World No. 353 Kruger lost a close battle with second seed Chloe Paquet, while four young South African wild cards (Erin McKenzie, Claire Jaramba, Suzanie Pretorius and Marilouise Van Zyl) were comprehensively outplayed and managed just eight games between them.

Defeat, of course, is a regular customer in the business of tennis, and this was very much an opportunity for each of them to learn for the future.

This week’s Pretoria event is the continent’s largest ITF Women’s tournament and follows the successful inaugural event last year, delivered as part of Tennis South Africa’s commitment to stage more elite tournaments for women.

For 16-year-old Van Zyl, the youngest of the home-grown players in action, the experience has proved hugely memorable.

“The level of play here is very tough – it’s tougher than we’re used to"

“I lost, so it did not go as planned, but it was a great match. I learned a lot,” said Van Zyl after her 6-2 6-1 defeat to France’s Alice Tubello.

“The level of play here is very tough – it’s tougher than we’re used to. I think it’s great exposure for South African girls, and everyone from Africa that don’t have these tournaments in their home country all the time.”

‘You either win, or you learn’

This week's W60 Pretoria is the continent’s largest ITF Women’s tournament, bringing opportunities of the highest level to players across Africa 🌍

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— ITF (@ITFTennis) March 15, 2023

Van Zyl has reached the top 200 in the ITF junior rankings and competed at some of the biggest events on the girls’ circuit, while dipping a toe in the water at five professional tournaments held in her home country over the last few years.

So what is the difference when the tournament grade steps up a notch?

“The amount of unforced errors [pros] make is very, very low,” she said. “They just make more balls overall which makes it harder to get free points – you don’t get free points, actually. Your placement needs to be perfect. You can’t just hit the ball in the middle because then you will lose the point.

“But we grow as we learn. Every match you get better, you get more comfortable playing at this level.”

Twelve South African players took to the court at W60 Pretoria in total across the main draw and qualifying events, led by Kruger - who is currently the only South African ranked in the WTA's top 1000. In time, and thanks to the staging of events of this stature, that will change.

“All the South Africans are just so grateful that we can get these tournaments in our home country so that we can improve our level"

“I think all the South Africans are just so grateful that we can get these tournaments in our home country so that we can improve our level,” added Van Zyl. “Hopefully next time… definitely next time... it will go better than it [did here]. I’m so excited to play more of these tournaments.

“I just want to say thank you for everyone’s hard work to give us this opportunity to play these events. I know it’s not easy to organise and host these tournaments. I’ve very grateful for this opportunity.”

The staging of back-to-back ITF World Tennis Tour tournaments in South Africa (the W60 event was preceded by a W25 event, won by American Emina Bektas), also presented the ITF and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) with the opportunity to educate and engage with officials, coaches and players in a high-level tournament setting.

An ITF White Badge officiating school was held prior to the W25 event on 2-6 March (one of around 10 officiating schools hosted by the ITF throughout the year), while the ITIA delivered a seminar on 4 March.

Around 60 officials took part in the White Badge school and refresher course, while the ITIA were able to speak to over 60 officials and over 120 different individuals in total to raise awareness around integrity issues and, as ITF Head of Officials Iain Smith put it, “prevent people going down that dark path of corruption”.

“All the officials were really happy with it,” Smith said of the ITIA seminar. “They embraced the opportunity to meet and approach the ITIA, to gain a better understanding of potential issues and to receive more guidance and advice.”