Zoe Kruger wins her second ITF title as curtain comes down on Curro Centre Court Series
Zoe Kruger’s return from injury was capped off with a trophy as she won the women’s singles finals in the last week of the Curro Centre Court Series.
Zoe Kruger. Picture: X/@zoekrugerr
JOHANNESBURG - Zoe Kruger’s return from injury was capped off with a trophy as she won the women’s singles finals in the last week of the Curro Centre Court Series.
She won the title on Sunday, as the curtain came down on the three-week event that saw Curro Holdings partner with Tennis South Africa to host three International Tennis Federation (ITF) combined men's and women's prize money tournaments.
The games marked the first time since 2021 that professional men’s international tournaments were held in South Africa.
“I’m very happy,” Kruger told Eyewitness News following her 6-2, 6-3 win over number 1 seed Ksenia Laskutova.
“It’s nice to be here and play a tournament in South Africa. It’s such a great opportunity, even for our junior players. It means a lot to play tennis in general and my body being fit.”
The success comes amid physical concerns for Kruger, who has been battling with a hand injury that has restricted the amount of games she can play.
Even though she has a trophy to show for her hard work, the success did not come without some challenges.
“I feel like I’ve built my confidence during the week,” she said about her games. “Every match I’ve played a little bit better and I’m finding my groove. I have a little bit of a strain on my abdominal muscle so I was holding back on the serve a little bit just to save myself in the point.”
Zoe is the latest sportsperson to emerge from the Kruger family.
Her dad is the late Springbok and Bulls flanker Ruben Kruger, while her sister Isabella made national headlines in 2022 after reaching the quarterfinals of the junior tournament at Wimbledon.
With both sisters looking to make their mark in South African tennis, Zoe said there is no sibling rivalry to distract them from reaching their objectives.
“It’s nice because we are so supportive of each other,” Kruger said of their relationship. “We are not opponents at all. There was a big chance that we would have played each other in this tournament but I’m grateful that we didn’t.
“I think it’s nice to always have someone who has your best interest in mind. It’s nice to have someone to warm up with you, hit with you, stay with you and do everything together, so we can’t be rivals.”
Kruger will hope to build on the success achieved at the Curro Hillcrest event when she plays other ITF tournaments in Italy, Germany and Belgium later this year.
She’ll also hope her body remains pain-free as her confidence has taken a dent due to her injury struggles.
“It’s nice for me to know I still have other levels to reach and can compete at this stage,” she said of her run to the final and her trophy win, which secured her a second professional title.
“I was very hesitant coming into this tournament. I didn’t play matches for a very long time and had niggles everywhere. It’s tough to come back after injuries, trying to find your groove but I managed to do it. I’m very happy about it so I can continue the rest of the year in other events.”