V&A Waterfront, Cape Town South Africa: The Growthpoint SA Nationals squash championships are poised for an explosive finish when the country’s top players fight it out for the premier domestic titles at the V & A Waterfront in Cape Town on Sunday.
In a rather unusual outcome, the 2021 champions, siblings Lizelle Muller and Dewald van Niekerk, both of SA Country Districts, will put their titles on the line against the 2020 holders Alex Fuller (Western Province) and Christo Potgieter (Joburg Squash).
The women’s final will be played at 3pm, followed by the men’s decider, scheduled for 3.40pm.
Muller was pushed hard in her semi-final on Friday against SACD colleague Alexa Pienaar but survived to win in five games and this finals quartet have proved themselves just a cut above the rest.
Cape Town-born Fuller, ranked 30 in the world and the top seed, defeated Muller (No 2) two years ago in Pretoria and is feeling a little bit of pressure as the title favourite.
She was slightly on edge in overcoming a terrific challenge from WP’s Siyoli Waters on Friday, eventually winning in three close games. Afterwards she spoke about the dynamics of being the hometown favourite.
“Definitely the pressure of expectation is something you have to try to control,” she said.
“The pressure comes from myself in that you think everyone expects you to do well, but they just have my best interests at heart.
“It is a tough one in a way because playing overseas I don’t have any support and here I have lots of support, so it’s almost more nerve-wracking.
“But it’s still so nice to play in front of a home crowd and the support I have received in my two weeks back here has really meant a lot to me.”
After years of disappointment Muller cracked her first national title in 2021 and, at the age of 37 and with time running out, she is poised to deliver the best challenge she can.
“I knew I had to push myself hard in the semi-finals to achieve this because Alexa played so well, but now I am ready to go out there to just enjoy myself and have fun,” she said.
The men’s final will be a repeat of the 2021 encounter and it will be interesting to see how World Masters over-35 champion Potgieter manages the relentless pressure which Van Niekerk exerts on his opponents.
In his semi-final against Northerns’ Ruan Olivier, the 25-year-old champion demonstrated why he has been the benchmark in SA squash over the last year, gradually squeezing the life out of his opponent.
“I knew the first game against him is important because if he gains momentum, he is tough to stop,” Van Niekerk said.
“So, I just had to go out tough, hit my targets with purpose, not make any errors and take time away from him.”
He will need the same sort of focus against Potgieter, 10 years his senior, but still a formidable rival.
“It’s always fun playing Christo because he has good shots and good movement, so I am just going to prepare well and come out with guns blazing.”
Potgieter is also excited about the challenge and will call on the memory of his win over Van Niekerk in a Pretoria PSA event early this year as a sign of what he can achieve.
He goes into the final after having overcome nearly two years of debilitating injury setbacks, as well as contracting Covid, and is keen to prove a point after his World Masters triumph.
“That was a main goal for me this year and I am physically feeling good, so we’ll be hoping to produce a good final for the supporters,” he said.
“The win in Poland has provided a lift because a lot of people have made me feel better about my squash, so I am feeling that I’m back at the top of my game and really looking forward to a good battle.”
Sunday’s Order of Play:
Women
11.40am, 5-8 playoffs: Teagan Roux v Helena Coetzee
12.20pm, 3rd place: Siyoli Waters (WP) v Alexa Pienaar (SACD)
3pm, final: Alex Fuller (WP) v Lizelle Muller (SACD)
Men
1pm, 3rd place: Tristen Worth (SACD) v Ruan Olivier (Northerns)
3.40pm, final: Dewald van Niekerk (SACD) v Christo Potgieter (Joburg Squash)
Results:
Women
5-8 playoffs: Teagan Roux (Joburg Squash) bt Shelomi Truter (SACD) 3-2 (1-11 5-11 13-11 11-9 11-7)
Men
5-8 playoffs: JP Brits (SACD) bt Rodney Durbach (WP) 3-0 (11-7 12-10 11-6)
Ends
Captions:
FREE TO USE PICTURES
CHRISTO: Christo Potgieter of Joburg Squash is through to the men’s singles final of the Growthpoint South African Nationals being played at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Third seeded Potgieter caused a minor upset in the semi-finals when he beat second seed Tristen Worth (SACD) 3-0. Potgieter will play top seed Dewald van Niekerk (SACD) in the final
on Sunday 11 September 2022 at 15h40.
DEWALD: Defending men’s champion, Dewald van Niekerk of South African Country Districts is through to the singles final of the Growthpoint South African Nationals being played at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Top seeded Potgieter beat fifth seeded Ruan Olivier (Northens) 3-0 in his semi-final. Van Niekerk will play third seed Christo Potgieter of Joburg Squash in the final
on Sunday 11 September 2022 at 15h40.
ALEX: Defending champion, Alex Fuller of Western Province is through to the women’s singles final of the Growthpoint South African Nationals being played at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Top seeded Fuller beat fifth seeded Siyoli Water (WP) 3-0 in her semi-final. Fuller will play second seed Lizelle Muller of South African Country Districts in the final
on Sunday 11 September 2022 at 15h00
LIZELLE: : Lizelle Muller of South African Country Districts is through to the women’s singles final of the Growthpoint South African Nationals being played at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Second seeded Muller beat Alexa Pienaar (SACD) 3-2 in her semi-final. Muller will play top seeded Alex Fuller (WP) in the final
on Sunday 11 September 2022 at 15h00.
Picture credit: Petri Oeschger
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The finals and play offs will be live streamed from 11h00 on Sunday 11 September 2022 on the Squash South Africa Facebook page and Squash South Africa YouTube channel
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