Lizelle Muller and Dewald van Niekerk put SA squash titles on the line
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Christo Potgieter of Joburg Squash in action 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. Picture: Petri Oeschger
Cape Town - 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 itself 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 me 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.”
The finals and playoffs will be live streamed from 11am on Sunday on the Squash South Africa Facebook page and Squash South Africa YouTube channel.
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)
Saturday's 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)
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