Success in the previous tournament was a good calling card for Daniel Wessels, a young student of the Tennis World Academy. However, on the occasion of the Super 8 tournament in Strand, the Winelands District, notoriety could have been a double-edged sword: credited with the first seed, he had all eyes on him. And he could feel the obligation of having to win the tournament. And he did do that by giving the Stellenbosch academy a joyful Christmas by winning the second tournament in a row, this time without losing a set.
If, in the previous event, he had played a couple of three-set battles, this time the most complicated match came on his debut against Ryan Roelofse (beaten 7-6, 6-4). Against the rest, it was a simple glide to victory. Subsequent opponents were unable to snatch more than three games from him in a single set. The final was one way, with a clear 6-0, 6-1 against Yarona Morule.
The presence of Wessels at the Tennis World Academy was important as the other students were able to attend the training of a winning boy with indisputable determination. An interesting virtuous circle can be created, based on the spirit of emulation. By observing his training, many young tennis players have been able to observe closely that willpower and the determination to improve bring results. At the tournament played in the Winelands Municipal District, the academy’s another pupil Wade Hermanus reached the semi-final, too, apart from Wessels himself.
In a few weeks, Federico Coppini’s hand seemed evident in the technical-tactical progress of Wessels, a boy who was well-set technically but who needed to put some order in his way of being on the court.
2021 can be the right year for a good leap in quality, perhaps with some important results also in the world circuit reserved for the Under-18s. Born on May 23, 2003, he will still have a full year to compete in the junior circuit. At the moment, his best performance is the semi-final he took last February in Potchefstroom. Since then, the growth is evident and it is to be believed that he is ready to face increasingly stronger opponents.
The foundation and tournaments of the Tennis World Tour circuit have managed to give a lot of people a smile and lay the foundation for an even better normality. Wessels’ successes, however, are not a point of arrival: they must be considered a starting point for ever more ambitious goals. But in Stellenbosch they know this very well.