SQUASH MEDIA RELEASE
SATURDAY, 16 AUGUST 2025
VAN VY, PHILLIPS CROWNED U19 CHAMPIONS IN GROWTHPOINT NATIONALS
. Free State’s Katzin takes U17 title in sensational final
V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, Western Cape: Dene van Zyl and Judah Phillis were crowned the U19 women’s and men’s champions when the Growthpoint SA Nationals Junior squash championships came to an exciting conclusion at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on Saturday.
Playing on the all-glass court at Makers Landing, Van Zyl retained her title with a relatively comfortable 3-0 win over her cousin from Northerns, Chante Leppan, finishing off her career in the junior ranks in highly satisfactory fashion.
She went through the tournament unbeaten and fully deserved the title despite a spirited effort by Leppan in the last match. Down 10-5 in the third game, Leppan forced it to a 10-10 tiebreaker before Van Zyl got back on top to close it out 11-5 11-7 12-10.
Top men’s seed Phillips of Northerns showed similar control in winning the national title for the first time, coming up against Western Province’s Thomas Boutall in the decider after both were unbeaten in their earlier matches.
It was a good contest, but it was Phillips who managed to dictate most of the play and in the end he coasted to victory 11-6 11-5 11-5.
In one of the matches of the tournament, Free State’s Dean Katzin called on his deepest reserves of energy and determination to outlast Eden player Christian Swanepoel in a gruelling five games to take the boys’ U17 title.
It was a rare defeat for Swanepoel in the Growthpoint Junior Nationals as he had won the U15 title in the last two years.
He showed his ability and sheer grit in a humdinger of a match which saw Katzin stand on the verge of victory when he had three match points in the third game.
But Swanepoel has not achieved his elevated status without showing a dogged character and he turned the tables on his opponent to win the next five points to stay in the match, taking the game 12-10.
when he took control of the match with outstanding all-round play as Katzin looked to be wobbling badly and suddenly it was down to a fifth game decider.
Remarkably, Katzin regrouped in spirited fashion and somehow forged his way to a 5-1 lead in the final game.
But again, Swanepoel was not done. He drew back to 5-5 before Katzin was able to re-establish a crucial three-point lead and eventually was able to outmanoeuvre his opponent on his fifth match point after a tremendous display by both players.
Afterwards Katzin was a loss to explain how he managed to come back in the fifth game.
“It’s amazing to win the title and I really don’t know how I managed to come back in the fifth,” he said.
“But I’m just very proud to be the champion and I would like to thank so many people who have helped me on this journey.”
In the girls’ U17 final, Northerns star Elzandri Janse van Rensburg retained her title with a controlled display of power to outduel longtime rival Makayla Naidoo (KZN) 11-9 11-7 11-7.
The lefthanded champion was lethal on attack, pouncing on anything loose with a series of penetrating drives to the back of the court which Naidoo was not able to return.
On occasions, Janse van Rensburg showed deft touches in the front of the court and although Naidoo fought back with courage to take a lead in the third game, the Northerns player managed to reimpose her pattern of play to take the title.
“I sometimes struggle with the conditions on the all-glass court, but I felt I played well today,” Janse van Rensburg said.
“Makayla and I have been playing each other for a long time, and we always have close games, so you are never quite sure who is going to win. But I’m happy to take the win today.”
The results were:
Girls U17
Pool A: Elzandri Janse van Rensburg (Northerns) bt Makayla Naidoo (KZN) 3-0 (11-9 11-7 11-7), Starla Phillips (Northerns) bt Kate van Biljon (Border) 3-0 (11-6 11-4 12-10).
Final positions: 1 Elzandri Janse van Rensburg (Northerns,) 2 Makayla Naidoo (KZN), 3 Starla Phillips (Northerns), 4 Kate van Biljon (Border).
Pool B: Tara Neville-Smyly (WP) bt Amelia Lubbe (Northerns) 3-0 (11-3 11-3 11-8), Vivienne van der Schyff (Free State) bt Hanrie Duits (Eden) 3-1 (11-4 3-11 12-10 11-7).
Final positions: 1 Vivienne van der Schyff (Free State), 2 Hanrie Duits (Eden), 3 Tara Neville-Smyly (WP), 4 Amelia Lubbe (Northerns)
Boys U17
Pool A: Dean Katzin (Free State bt Christian Swanepoel (Eden) 3-2 (11-6 11-9 10-12 5-11 11-7), Malherbe van Niekerk (Boland) bt Dylan Keswell (WP) 3-1 (11-8 11-5 5-11 11-5).
Final positions: 1 Dean Katzin (Free State), 2 Christian Swanepoel (Eden), 2 3 Malherbe van Niekerk (Boland), 4 Dylan Keswell (WP).
Pool B: Logan Kidson (Northerns) bt Aiden McNeill (KZN) 3-2 (9-11 14-16 11-8 11-5 11-5). Milan Raffa (Northerns) bt Luke Goldschmidt (EP) bt 3-1 (11-4 11-8 9-11 11-1).
Final positions: 1 Milan Raffa (Northerns), 2 Logan Kidson (Northerns), 3 Luke Goldschmidt (EP), 4 Aiden McNeill (KZN).
Women U19
Pool A: Dene van Zyl (Boland) Chante Leppan (Northerns) 3-0 (11-5 11-7 12-10), Brianna Robinson (Easterns) bt Cevana Naidoo (KZN) 3-0 (11-6 11-4 11-2).
Final positions: 1 Dene van Zyl (Boland), 2 Brianna Robinson (Easterns), 3 Chante Leppan (Northerns), 4 Cevana Naidoo (KZN)
Pool B: Marlene van Wyk (Boland) bt Katelyn Walland (EP) 3-1 (10-12 11-8 11-4 11-5),
Lucy Malherbe (WP) bt Benedette van Tonder (Free State) 3-0 (11-4 11-2 11-7)
Final positions: 1 Lucy Malherbe (WP), 2 Marlene van Wyk (Boland), 3 Benedette van Tonder (Free State), 4 Katelyn Walland (EP).
Me
Pool A: Judah Phillips (Northerns) bt Thomas Boutall (WP) 3-0 (11-6 11-5 11-5), Louis le Riche (Boland) bt Benji Newman (EP) 3-1 (11-6 7-11 11-8 11-5).
Final positions: 1 Judah Phillips (Northerns), 2 Thomas Boutall (WP), 3 Louis le Riche (Boland), 4 Benji Newman (EP).
Pool B: Anrieg Small (Boland) bt Heinu van Jaarsveld (Joburg Squash) 3-1 (11-6 11-8 4-11 11-8), Ruvay Ramdhin (KZN) bt Nicholas Basson (WP) 3-1 (4-11 12-10 11-7 12-10).
Final positions: 1 Ruvay Ramdhin (KZN), 2 Nicholas Basson (WP), 3 Anrieg Small (Boland), 4 Heinu van Jaarsveld (Joburg Squash)
End
FREE TO USE PICTURES WITH CAPTIONS
Elzandri Janse van Rensburg- Elzandri Janse van Rensburg of Northerns was crowned the U17 girls’ champion when she defeated Makayla Naidoo of KwaZulu-Natal 3-0 on the final day of the Growthpoint SA Junior Nationals squash championships at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on Saturday.
Dean Katzin– Dean Katzin of Free State was crowned the U17 boys’ champion when he defeated Christian Swanepoel of Eden 3-2 on the final day of the Growthpoint SA Junior Nationals squash championships at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on Saturday.
Dene van Zyl- Dene van Zyl of Boland was crowned the U19 women’s champion when she defeated Chante Leppan of Northerns 3-0 on the final day of the Growthpoint SA Junior Nationals squash championships at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on Saturday.
Judah Phillips- Judah Phillips of Northerns was crowned the U19 men’s champion when he defeated Thomas Boutall of Western Province 3-0 on the final day of the Growthpoint SA Junior Nationals squash championships at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on Saturday.
Picture credit: Petri Oeschger/Gallo Images