TSHEPISO "Sasa" Lesiba has promised to defend her two titles at the national annual karate open tournament at the Mandela University of Technology in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

TSHEPISO "Sasa" Lesiba has promised to defend her two titles at the national annual karate open tournament at the Mandela University of Technology in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

Last season the Katlehong-based Lesiba lifted the women's Under-65kg and open weight divisions in Durban.

This year Karateka will descend on Eastern Cape for the tournament, hosted by the Kyokushinkan Organisation.

Lesiba, a member of the Sijabulile Karate Club, admitted that this year's tournament will be stiffer because there will be a lot of new faces taking part.

" Most of this year's participants are a closed book to me. But I am looking forward to meeting them head-on ," said the soft-spoken but hard hitting Lesiba , who is coached by fiancée James Sithole.

The weigh-in is tomorrow at 2pm and the tournament starts at 9am on Saturday.