Squash | Alex Fuller, Dewald Van Niekerk Seal The Deal As Growthpoint South Africa’s Championships

Sunday, 11 August 2024 -  V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa:  When the final shot had been struck after three days of gripping competition, Alex Fuller and Dewald van Niekerk stood out as the undisputed champions as the curtain came down on the Growthpoint SA Nationals Squash Championships in Cape Town on Sunday.

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• Alex& Dewald Champions- Top seeds from left Dewald van Niekerk (SA Country Districts) and Alex Fuller (Western Province) won the men’s and women’s singles of the 2024 Growthpoint SA Squash Championships which were completed at the V & A Waterfront in Cape Town on Sunday.

•  Men’s champion equals record of four titles in a row

On the iconic all-glass court at the V&A Waterfront, they achieved the glory reaped from the hours of training by achieving the special 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.

Alex Champion- Top seed Alex Fuller (Western Province) was crowned the women’s 2024 Growthpoint SA National Squash champion at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on Sunday. Fuller beat second seed Hayley Ward (Eastern Province) 3-1 (11-5 9-11 11-7 11-6) in the final

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.

Dewald Champion-Top seed and defending champion, Dewald van Niekerk (SA Country Districts) won the men’s 2024 Growthpoint SA National Squash Championships at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on Sunday. Van Niekerk beat second seed Damian Groenewald (Northerns) 3-1 (11-6 11-3 7-11 11-3) in the final.

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 hard one because Damian is such a difficult player who looks to attack a lot of the time, so it was matter of trying to focus on my gameplan and to stick to that.”

Dewald Champion1- Top seed Dewald van Niekerk (SA Country Districts) was crowned the 2024 men’s singles Champions Growthpoint SA Squash Championships which were completed at the V & A Waterfront in Cape Town on Sunday.

Alex Champion 1- Top seed Alex Fuller (Western Province) was crowned the women’s singles champions of the 2024 Growthpoint SA Squash Championships which were completed at the V & A Waterfront in Cape Town on Sunday.

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.

Growthpoint finalists: From left Damien Groenewald (Northerns) men’s losing finalist, Dewald van Niekerk (SA Country Districts) men’s champion, Alex Fuller (Western Province) women’s champions and Hayley Ward (Eastern province) women’s losing finalist of the 2024 Growthpoint SA Squash Championships which were completed at the V & A Waterfront in Cape Town on Sunday.

Sunday’s results were:

Women

Final: 1-Alex Fuller (Western Province) bt 2-Hayley Ward (Eastern Province) 3-1 (11-5 9-11 11-7 11-6)

3rd-4th playoff: 4-Teagan Russell (Joburg Squash) bt 3-Alexa Pienaar (SA Country Districts) 3-0 (11-6 11-5 11-7)

5-8 playoffs: 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)

Final placings: 5. Milnay Louw (Western Province), 6. Awande Malinga (Northerns), 7. Kimberley McDonald (Northerns), 8. Amy Greyvenstein (Free State)

Men

Final: 1-Dewald van Niekerk (SA Country Districts) bt 2-Damian Groenewald (Northerns) 3-1 (11-6 11-3 7-11 11-3)

3rd-4th playoff: 3-JP Brits (SA Country Districts) walkover v 5-Ruan Olivier (Northerns)

5-8 playoffs: Reuel Videler (SA Country Districts) bt Mighael Lombard (Western Province) 3-2 (8-11 4-11 11-6 12-10 11-9)

Final placings: 5. Reuel Videler (SA Country Districts), 6. Mighael Lombard (Western Province), 7. Jonty Matthys (SA Country Districts), 8. Christo Potgieter (Joburg Squash)

Photo credit: Petri Oeschger

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