HERMAN GIBBS
Alex Fuller and Dewald van Niekerk reigned supreme at the Growthpoint SA Nationals Squash Championships in Cape Town this weekend.
When the final shot had been struck after three days of tense competition, Fuller and Van Niekerk stood out as the undisputed champions as the curtain came down on the championships yesterday.
On the iconic all-glass court at the V&A Waterfront, they achieved the glory reaped from the hours of training and achieved the accolade of being called the best players in the land.
Fuller, the top seed from Cape Town, saw off the challenge of Eastern Province second seed Hayley Ward in four tough games, eventually establishing control to win 11-5 9-11 11-7 11-6.
She was followed by SA Country Districts star Van Niekerk, who delivered a masterclass of patience and shot control to subdue promising Northerns player Damian Groenewald 11-6 11-3 7-11 11-3.
That triumph, in just more than 40 minutes, saw the 27-year-old top seed win his fourth title in a row, equalling the record of KwaZulu-Natal’s Steve Coppinger, who was the champion from 2010 to 2013.
After falling behind 2-0, the 20-year-old Groenewald dug deep to keep his title hopes alive and called on all his considerable shot-making ability to run up a 10-4 lead. But the hard as nails Van Niekerk doesn’t submit that easily and he fought off three game points before Groenewald slammed a return of serve into the nick to extend the match.
However, it proved to be a somewhat fleeting period of success because Van Niekerk quickly regained control and his immaculate retrieving and patience had the desired effect as Groenewald committed too many errors to sustain the challenge.
Van Niekerk was delighted to match a long-standing record.
“It does feel pretty good because Steve was a top player on the pro circuit so to equal his record is awesome,” he said. “I think I will definitely be back next year to see if I can get another one.”
He also paid tribute to his younger opponent who, he said, had been playing excellent squash this year.
“I always knew it would be a hard one because Damian is such a difficult player who looks to attack a lot of the time, so it was a matter of trying to focus on my game plan and to stick to that.”
The 30-year-old Fuller, who retired as a professional player last year, was equally relieved to pull off another win, adding to the four titles she has won previously.
“Hayley’s play has improved so much and we had a good match in the Growthpoint Interprovincial so I knew it would be tough,” she said. “It is special to win again after last winning in 2022 and it’s a different feeling now because I don’t have the same expectations I felt on the pro tour.”
While the 26-year-old Ward put up a terrific challenge to win the second game after a somewhat shaky start, Fuller’s accurate and powerful shots often had her under pressure.
The Cape Town star was able to control most of the rallies in the last two games, but she knew she couldn’t take anything for granted as Ward fought hard until the final point.
Yesterday’s results
Women
Final: 1-Alex Fuller (Western Province) bt 2-Hayley Ward (Eastern Province) 3-1 (11-5 9-11 11-7 11-6)
Third-place play-off: 4-Teagan Russell (Joburg Squash) bt 3-Alexa Pienaar (SA Country Districts) 3-0 (11-6 11-5 11-7)
Fifth to seventh-place play-offs: Milnay Louw (Western Province) bt Kimberley McDonald (Northerns) 3-0 (11-5 11-5 11-6); Awande Malinga (Northerns) bt Amy Greyvenstein (Free State) 3-0 (11-1 11-3 11-2)
Men
Final: 1-Dewald van Niekerk (SA Country Districts) bt 2-Damian Groenewald (Northerns) 3-1 (11-6 11-3 7-11 11-3)
Third-place play-off: 3-JP Brits (SA Country Districts) walkover v 5-Ruan Olivier (Northerns)
Fifth to seventh-place play-offs: Reuel Videler (SA Country Districts) bt Mighael Lombard (Western Province) 3-2 (8-11 4-11 11-6 12-10 11-9)