Henning goes back-to-back in Hillcrest as Wimbledon dreams fuel his climb

As Jannik Sinner was cementing his place in tennis history with a maiden Wimbledon triumph on Sunday, South African Davis Cup player Phillip Henning was quietly building his own legacy on the courts of Hillcrest, KwaZulu-Natal — claiming back-to-back titles in the Curro Centre Court Series.

The 24-year-old Bloemfontein-born, Stellenbosch-based player had to fight back from a set down to beat Poland’s Filip Peliwo, the No 3 seed, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the ITF World Tennis Tour final. The win, coming just a week after another three-set victory over American Adhithya Ganesan at the same venue, marked Henning’s fifth Curro title overall — and his second in as many Sundays.

“Filip is a tough opponent, doesn’t miss many balls, makes you work hard for every point,” Henning told Independent Media Sport.

“I also played him in the semi-finals last week and that was also three sets, so it was another battle. But I’m happy I found a way.”

Rain delays on Saturday meant both the semi-finals and the final were played on the same day, adding a layer of fatigue and pressure to Henning’s triumph. Yet he thrived, relying on powerful groundstrokes and adaptability in tricky, high-bounce conditions.

“The conditions are tricky — the balls are very bouncy — and I took a while to get used to it,” he said.

“This week I didn’t feel at my best at times but I managed to dig deep and find that tough level. I’ve been playing well, serving well, so overall I’m happy with my game.”

Henning’s recent success is part of a steady rise since returning to South Africa from the US in 2023, where he played college tennis for the University of Georgia. Now competing on the Futures Tour under the banner of the Coppini Tennis Academy, he’s beginning to eye a breakthrough onto tennis’s biggest stages.

His current ATP ranking hovered around the 400 mark before the Hillcrest tournaments. With Grand Slam qualifiers typically requiring a ranking of 240 or better, he knows there’s still work to be done.

“A couple of spots that I still need to climb,” he said with a smile. “But hopefully I’ll get there one day.”

He hopes to break into the Top 300 by the end of the year, and believes the exposure to higher-level Challenger tournaments and accumulating ATP points will continue to open doors.

“Just playing on the tour and getting into those Challenger events has opened my eyes and made me see that it is possible,” said Henning. “It just requires a lot of hard work and sacrifice — but I’m here for it.”

In the women’s final, top seed Stephanie Judith Vischer of the Netherlands also mounted a comeback, defeating Russia’s Kira Pavlova 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Zimbabwe’s Valeria Bhunu had won the previous event.

For Henning, though, the focus is on the next step — and perhaps, in time, joining compatriot Lloyd Harris on the main stage of world tennis.