Court star Jennings makes his mark in South Africa
16-year-old Eoghan Jennings advanced all the way to the semi-finals of the 200 tournament in Pretoria, beating two South Africans and a Russian opponent along the way.
In what undoubtedly was a landmark victory in the burgeoning career of Mayo tennis player Eoghan Jennings, the 16-year-old produced a sensational performance at the prestigious J200 tournament in Pretoria, South Africa.
Hot off his double at the 2025 William Fry Junior Lawn Tennis Championships of Ireland where he won both the U18 boys singles and doubles titles, Jennings overcame the world’s No. 57 ranked junior player in a thrilling quarter-final clash last Wednesday.
In a rollercoaster battle, Jennings took the first set against Connor Doig 6-2 before his experienced South African opponent rallied to dominate the second 6-1. When the Castlebar Tennis Club member fell 0-3 behind in the deciding set, it seemed the match was slipping away, but in a remarkable show of resilience, Jennings dug deep, held serve, and completely turned the momentum. He stormed back with powerful shot-making, firing eight winners in the final three games to clinch a dramatic 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 victory.
He had qualified for the last eight after wins against another South African, Cooper McCarthy (6-4, 6-1) and Russia’s Iaroslav Klishin (5-7, 6-3, 6-1) but the dream end was brought to an end in Friday’s semi-final where he faced Nigeria’s Oluwaseun Peter Ogunsakin who won in straight sets (6-4, 6-4).
But there’s no doubt the week as a whole, in particular the quarter-final win, marks another milestone in Eoghan Jennings’ journey toward his ultimate goal: competing in all four Grand Slam tournaments by 2026.
“Everyone at Castlebar Tennis Club is so proud of Eoghan’s determination and composure under pressure,” said a club spokesperson. “This is dreamworld tennis, and we can’t wait to see what he achieves next.”
