Tennis new on the Centre Court Series week 1 round up.
Henning dominates week one as South African’s Shine at Curro Centre Court Series
07 July 2025: Philip Henning’s relentless consistency paid dividends as the South African claimed his fourth Curro Centre Court series singles title, headlining a dominant week for home nation players at Curro Hillcrest in KwaZulu-Natal.
The 25-year-old’s 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 victory over American Adhithya Ganesan capped off a tournament where South Africans captured half the available titles, with over 45% of the draw representing the country.
“Philip has just had an unbelievable week, playing consistently at a very high level,” said Jared Temlett, Project Manager at Curro Sport. “Philip has taken his game to another level and many people are dubbing him as South Africa’s next star to move up onto the highest stage.”
Henning find his range
After a tentative opening where both players struggled to find their rhythm, Henning found his straps to take the first set. Ganesan fired back in the second, levelling the match 7-5, but appeared to be struggling with a strain in his left glute and back area during the decider. Henning needed no further invitation, racing through the final set 6-1 to secure his second title at the venue, adding to his 2024 triumph at the same site.
Marathon battle for Bhunu
Zimbabwe’s Valeria Bhunu proved that experience trumps youth in a gruelling three-hour women’s singles final against France’s Astrid Cirrotte. The veteran campaigner edged a first-set tiebreak 7-3 before closing out the match 6-3 in the second.
“The match was close to three hours long with lots of gruelling rallies,” noted Temlett “Astrid put up an unbelievable fight, but in the end, the experience of Valeria came through.”
The victory provided another Southern African success story at a tournament that continues to serve as a happy hunting ground for regional talent.
Doubles Drama
The men’s doubles final delivered the day’s most compelling drama as South African pair of Devin Badenhorst and Luc Koenig survived a three-set thriller against the Egyptian-South African pairing of Akram El Salally and Kholowam Montsi.
After dropping the opening set 7-5, Badenhorst and Koenig stormed back with a dominant 6-1 second set before edging the super tiebreak 10-8 in a nail-biting finish.
The women’s doubles saw a more straightforward affair, with Russian Polina Leykina and France’s Astrid Cirrotte combining for a convincing 6-4, 6-3 victory over Benin’s Glorianna Nahum and China’s Yichen Zhao.
Global Stage, Local Flavour
The tournament’s international appeal was evident with players from across the globe descending on Curro Hillcrest, including representatives from the United States, multiple European nations, Asia, Australia, South America and Nepal.
Perfect playing conditions were embraced throughout the week with mild temperatures in the low-to-mid-twenties including crisp evenings – provided an ideal backdrop for high-quality tennis.
The officiating team, led by experienced chair umpires Wali Gritli from Tunisia and South Africa’s George Phiri and Tebogo Maleka earned praise for their professional standard, while local KZN officials gained valuable experience for future tournaments.
ATP and WTA Points up for grabs
The Centre Court series continues to provide crucial ranking points for South African and Southern African players looking to climb the ATP and WTA ladders, with the tournament establishing itself as a vital stepping stone in the professional tennis calendar.
“Curro is so proud of what we’ve put on in week one,” said Temlett. “We always try to create opportunity for everybody, and with 148 ATP/WTA points won by South Africans this week, we think the event has achieved this goal once again.”
With week two on the horizon, the Centre Court series has already proven its worth as a platform where South African talent can flourish on the international stage.
Week 1 champions:
- Men’s Singles: Philip Henning (RSA)
- Women’s Singles: Valeria Bhunu (ZIM)
- Men’s Doubles: Devin Badenhorst (RSA) / Luc Koenig (RSA)
- Women’s Doubles: Polina Leykina (RUS) / Astrid Cirrotte (FRA)
