Cape Town – In a bruising battle of the brothers, second seed Damian Groenewald edged out younger sibling Luhann to reach his third straight final in the Growthpoint SA Nationals Senior squash championships in Cape Town on Friday.
Playing on the all-glass court at Makers Landing at the V&A Waterfront, the 22-year-old Damian emerged triumphant against his 20-year-old brother in a titanic struggle over five games.
In Saturday’s final, he will again face the man who has beaten him in the last two finals, Dewald van Niekerk, who stayed on course for his sixth straight title with a 3-0 win over fourth seed John Anderson in the last semifinal.
In the women’s championship, top seed Hayley Ward, of Eastern Province, advanced to her third successive final, where she will meet another Gqeberha competitor in Lizelle Muller, who plays under the SA Country Districts banner.
Meanwhile, Damian said he would rather not play his younger brother.
“He is so quick around the court and gets so many balls back, and it’s always a tough match but, in reality, I would rather not come up against him in tournaments because it’s hard to play against your sibling,” Damian said.
“Although if we play in the same tournaments, I suppose that is something you have to make peace with.”
The match ebbed and flowed, but eventually Damian took control in the fifth game after earlier Luhann had slipped and seemed to roll his ankle, hindering his movement somewhat.
Nevertheless, he put up a terrific fight before conceding the fifth game 11-5.
Ward, who has lost to Alex Commins (then Fuller) in the past two years, is seeking her first title and reached the final with a 3-0 win over her good friend and roommate Alexa Pienaar.
“I’m really happy with how I played because you can never relax against Alexa, who is always so dangerous, and also a close friend of mine,” she said.
“I’m excited to be up against Lizelle, and I know it’s going to be a really tough match, but it’s great to have two players from Gqeberha in the final.”
Muller, the 2021 Growthpoint women’s champion, was delighted to make the final in her comeback to an event she last played in 2022 when she was runner-up to Commins.
“It feels really good to be back in the final, but it was a very hard march – Helena played so well, so well done to her,” Muller said.
After dominating the second and third games, she said she may have got “a bit excited” when she stood on match point in the fourth game.
“I had been on top, and suddenly there was a bit of pressure, and I couldn’t get my follow-through going, but I managed to get back in the fifth game by taking control of the front of the court and trying to keep her behind me.”
The Growthpoint U15 championships, being played simultaneously, have reached a fascinating stage, with a straight shootout for the girls’ title and three players in contention in the boys’ event.
Northerns top seed Chanel Leppan survived a tough assignment against Border’s Simi Shwababa, finally winning in five to set up a tournament decider against Western Province’s Aakiefah Taliep.
Starting the championships as the seventh seed, Taliep has been the surprise package and is unbeaten going into the final match.
In the boys’ division, Zayd Badroodien (WP) has the inside track, with two wins in the playoff for positions 1-4 for a total of four points, ahead of provincial colleague Rupert Good and Boland’s Zander Smit, both on two points.
Badroodien plays Smit on Saturday and a win will secure him national glory, while victory for Smit will mean it all depends on the outcome of the match between Good and Ponatshego Molefe (Joburg Squash).
The latest results:
Seniors Women
Semifinals: 1-Hayley Ward (EP) bt 4-Alexa Pienaar (SA Country Districts) 3-0 (11-2 11-6 11-7) 3-Lizelle Muller (SA Country Districts) bt 2-Helena Hudson (Northerns) 3-2 (8-11 11-5 11-1 14-16 11-5).
5-8: Milnay Louw (WP) bt Kim McDonald (WP) 3-0 (11-7 11-9 11-8), Keschia Schlebusch (SA Country Districts) bt Lara Patrick (Northerns) 3-1 (11-9 11-5 5-11 11-7), Milnay Louw (WP) bt Keschia Schlebusch (SA Country Districts) 3-0 (11-7 11-2 11-8), Kim McDonald (WP) bt Lara Patrick (Northerns) 3-1 (9-11 11-5 11-8 11-4).
Seniors Men
Semifinals: 1-Dewald van Niekerk (SA Country Districts) bt 4-John Anderson (Joburg Squash) 3-0 (11-1 11-2 11-3), 2-Damian Groenewald (Northerns) bt 3-Luhann Groenewald (Northerns) 3-2 (5-11 11-7 11-9 9-11 11-5).
5-8: Dean Venter (EP) bt Reuel Videler (SA Country Districts) 3-1 (11-7 11-5 3-11 11-6), JP Brits (SA Country Districts) bt Judah Phillips (Northerns) 3-2 (8-11 11-4 11-6 6-11 11-6), Dean Venter (EP) bt Judah Phillips (Northerns) 3-0 (11-9 11-5 11-7), Reuel Videler (SA Country Districts) bt JP Brits (SA Country Districts) 3-2 (8-11 11-4 11-8 7-11 11-3).
U15 Girls
1-4: Chanel Leppan (Northerns) bt Mia Bakkes (Northerns) 3-2 (7-11 11-8 7-11 11-5 11-8), Aakiefah Taliep (WP) bt Simi Shwababa (Border) 3-0 (11-7 11-7 11-8), Chanel Leppan (Northerns) bt Simi Shwababa (Border) 3-2 (11-7 11-5 11-13 13-15 11-3), Aakiefah Taliep (WP) bt Mia Bakkes (Northerns) 3-1 (8-11 11-3 11-7 11-6).
5-8: Jenna-Leigh Wyllie (EP) bt Kaitlin Saayman (Free State) 3-1 (11-5 8-11 11-9 11-5), Kimeya Moonisami (KZN) bt Janel Hall (EP) 3-1 (11-6 11-4 6-11 11-7), Kimeya Moonisami (KZN) bt Jenna-Leigh Wyllie (WP) 3-0 (11-2 11-2 11-7), Janel Hall (EP) bt Kaitlin Saayman (Free State) 3-0 (11-5 11-4 11-2), Kimeya Moonisami (KZN) bt Kaitlin Saayman (Free State) 3-0 (11-1 11-6 11-6).
U15 Boys
1-4: Zander Smit (Boland) bt Ponatshego Molefe (Joburg Squash) 3-1 (11-4 11-1 5-11 11-5), Zayd Badroodien (WP) bt Rupert Good (WP) 3-1 (11-6 11-8 4-11 11-7), Zayd Badroodien (WP) bt Ponatshego Molefe (Joburg Squash) 3-1 (9-11 11-6 11-9 11-4), Rupert Good (WP) bt Zander Smit (Boland) 3-0 (11-8 11-6 11-6).
5-8: George Hung (Free State) bt Emile Erasmus (Northerns) 3-1 (8-11 11-6 11-6 11-9), Keeran Morrison (EP) bt Phethahatso Motsoeneng (Limpopo) 3-1 (11-4 9-11 11-7 11-8), George Hung (Free State) bt Phethahatso Motsoeneng (Limpopo) 3-1 (8-11 11-6 11-6 11-8), Keeran Morrison (EP) bt Emile Erasmus (Northerns) 3-2 (11-8 14-12 8-11 3-11 11-5), Phethahatso Motsoeneng (Limpopo) bt Emile Erasmus (Northerns) 3-2 (11-4 6-11 10-12 11-6 14-12).
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