India continued its dominating play at the 2023 IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge Worldwide Finals as the Indian team improved their record to 4-0 with an impressive 5-1 victory over South Africa in Round Four action at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.
After India and South Africa split the two Girls’ Singles matches, India’s Manas Dhamne defeated Guy Vorwerk of South Africa 6-3, 6-1 and Rushil Khosla eased past Simphiwe Ngwenya 6-0, 6-2 in Boys’ Singles to give India a 3-1 lead. India then wrapped up the match with straight-set victories in Boys’ Doubles and Girls’ Doubles.
With the victory over South Africa, India remains undefeated and in first place in the standings.
In other Round Four matches, Italians Ilary Pistola and Ylenia Zocco each won their Girls’ Singles matches to lead Italy to a 4-2 win over Great Britain.
Argentina and United States were tied at 3-3 after splitting the first six matches. In the deciding Mixed Doubles match, Ramiro Toninelli and Pilar Beveraggi combined for a 10-6 win over Stiles Brockett and Reiley Rhodes in a deciding Match Tie-Break to secure a 4-3 victory for Argentina.
Junior tennis players from around the world traveled to the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club for this week’s IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge Worldwide Finals. For 17-year-old Mari-Louise Van Zyl (above) of Potchefstroom, South Africa, the trip to San Diego was an adventure she will never forget.
Van Zyl was making her maiden trip to the United States from Tunisia, where she trains at the International Tennis Federation training center. Her flight from Tunisia to Paris was canceled not only once, but twice.
She finally secured another flight, but it included an 11-hour layover in Paris. When she finally landed in France, it was the middle of the night and she spent an uncomfortable evening in a closed airport in Paris.
The following morning, her connecting flight to Detroit was an hour late, but the flight eventually took off. When it landed, she had to run through the airport to catch her connection to San Diego just as the final boarding call was announced.
Approximately 30 hours after leaving Tunisia, Van Zyl arrived at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.
“After getting to San Diego, I said ‘Wow!’ because I made it here. I had a few doubts along the way, but I am just so grateful to be here. As I look back on it, it was quite an adventure,” Van Zyl said.
“The first things I noticed were the palm trees. It just such a beautiful view and the weather is so nice. I just love the beach and the whole surfer vibe. I’ve been enjoying the food. The whole trip and experiencing San Diego and America for the first time and the people I’ve met is one of the best experiences ever,” she added.

The 2023 IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge Worldwide Finals conclude on Saturday. Round Five matches will feature India vs. Argentina; United States vs. Great Britain and South Africa vs. Italy.
Admission for spectators is free. On-site parking is available for $20. For additional tournament information, please visit www.ljbtc.com/tennis/tournaments.
Fans can tune in RadioTennis.com to listen to live audio play-by-play of matches on Court No. 1 at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. The broadcast will begin with the first match each day of the five-day international competition. Tennis broadcaster Ken Thomas will provide live webcast commentary at https://radiotennis.com/.