The Sunday Mail
SQUASH starlet Blessing Muhwati has set his sights on turning professional following his triumph at the Zimbabwe Closed Squash championships.
The 19-year-old upset top seed Admire Magwaza 3-2 in a gripping final at St John’s College.
“I was really chuffed with the win since no one expected me to win since I was seeded third at the tournament.
“Going past the semi-finals and beating Alex Holms, the guy I don’t normally beat, I started believing that I could win the trophy,” said Muhwati.
“There was a lot of pressure in the final. I was really scared, but after playing my first game and leading 2-0, I was okay.
“But since I had not been playing games because of my preparations for exams, the game got tighter. This guy was coming hard at me and he forced a 2-2 draw.
“In the last game he was leading I think 7-2, needing four more points to win the match, but I could not let it happen because I have always wanted to win the national title whilst still in school.”
Muhwati is sitting for his Advanced Level final exams and questions are being asked if the academic side is not suffering because of the game.
“To be honest, balancing is another story. Right now I am not playing any squash, I am just focusing on my studies,” he said.
“After exams obviously I will be focusing on the game. I hope to go to Egypt, South Africa or wherever to get into a university or turn pro.
“Turning pro is a hard decision, though, because when you are starting there is literally nothing; it’s just you funding yourself. I am hoping to get a scholarship in the United States of America, college squash is quite big that side. I have a few schools that are interested in me and I am in the process of applying.”
It has been a fantastic year for Muhwati as he made his debut at the British Junior Open, before winning the league gold medals with both his club Old Hararians and Prince Edward High School.
Last weekend, he walked away with the Player of the Year gong at the Zimbabwe Schools’ Squash awards,
“It has been a great year for me, to be honest. Playing in the British Junior Open, where I was ranked in the top 50, was a great experience; it made me appreciate the game much more.
“Squash has changed; what we are playing here and what’s being played out there is different. We have got the Egyptians; they don’t follow the training guide whatsoever. Normally, when you get onto a court with a kid you teach him how to play the drive first or play it straight, but the Egyptians teach them how to play the cross-court so that they learn the angles and how to kill the ball first. In England it’s more tactical.
“Normally, in Zimbabwe it’s about fitness; the fittest guy or stronger mentally on the day would win the game.
“But it’s now different you have to learn how to cut the ball or using your wrong foot which is a quicker way of retrieving the ball and all sorts of stuff,” he said.
With the doors looking set to open before him, Muhwati intends to use his “blessings to bless others.”
“One of my goals is to give back to the game, coach juniors and hopefully becoming a professional coach,” said the squash prodigy, whose brother, Samson, coaches in the United States.
