The ball had barely warmed the glass walls at the V&A Waterfront before the first upset rattled the Growthpoint SA Nationals. On a day meant for the favourites to lay down their markers, it was a player with fewer expectations and more heart who stole the spotlight.
Kim McDonald, seeded seventh and balancing her squash with a full-time medical career in Eswatini, dismantled No. 2 seed Alexa Pienaar in straight games, 11-7, 11-9, 11-7, to ignite the tournament with a shockwave.
In a sport of fine margins, McDonald played with the precision of a surgeon. Pienaar never quite settled, as if the ball itself conspired to deny her rhythm. McDonald pounced, stepping in with crisp volleys and clever variation to keep her rival chasing shadows.
“We’ve had some really good matches in the past and I know Alexa is a fierce competitor who can be difficult to read in the front of the court,” McDonald reflected.
“When you play her, you have to make sure your belief is high that you can manage her game.
“I knew I just had to take my chances when I got them because the court can be quite dead at the front, and I concentrated on that, as well as mixing it up with keeping a good length.”
It was as clinical as it was courageous. For McDonald, who admits she only squeezes in weekend squash and some trail running to keep fit, this was less about expectation than execution.
“At the moment I get some squash in over the weekends and do some trail running to keep sane, but to come here and get a win is something that I will treasure,” the 29-year-old said, her smile betraying a mixture of relief and pride.
Her victory earned her a daunting next step: a quarterfinal showdown with defending champion Alex Commins, who had earlier dispatched Northerns youngster Lara Patrick 3-0 in brisk, businesslike fashion.
Seeds Hold Steady
While McDonald lit up the day, the top seeds kept their footing.
Dewald van Niekerk, chasing a record fifth consecutive title, showed no mercy in a ruthless 11-2, 11-2, 11-5 demolition of teammate Luke van Vuuren. His march continues with the calm assurance of a man who has learned how to make Cape Town his kingdom.
On the women’s side, Hayley Ward was equally uncompromising, though she needed all her focus to see off the stubborn challenge of Northerns’ Helena Hudson 11-4, 11-5, 11-8. If McDonald provided the shock, Ward and Van Niekerk supplied the reminder: the giants are still standing tall.
A Teenager Steps Into the Arena
The men’s draw also introduced a fresh subplot in the form of Luhann Groenewald. Only 19, the Northerns prodigy has already collected two U19 titles but is now finding his feet in senior company. His debut could not have been more assured: a composed 3-0 victory over fifth seed Reuel Videler.
Luhann Groenewald Picture credit: Petri Oeschger/Gallo Images
“That takes a bit of pressure off, and I just aim to go out and give it my best against Dewald tomorrow,” said Groenewald, relishing a dream clash against the reigning champion.
“I was happy with the way I played today, although I fell off a bit in the last game before coming back. But I’ll take that win and I look forward to the next challenge.”
If Van Niekerk represents the fortress, Groenewald is the bold young challenger ready to test the walls.
Junior Fireworks
The day’s most exhilarating duel, though, came not in the senior draw but in the boys’ U15 division, where Ashton Burger staged a comeback for the ages against Western Province’s Milton Posthumus.
The match swung wildly, with Posthumus leading two games to one and holding four game points in the fourth. Burger clawed back to 10-9 before Posthumus closed it out to force a decider. Surely, the momentum belonged to the Western Province player.
Ashton Burger Picture credit: Petri Oeschger/Gallo Images
That sense only grew when Posthumus surged to 10-4 in the fifth with six match balls in hand and victory in sight. But Burger refused to fold. With nerves of steel and a streak of fearless shot-making, he reeled off eight consecutive points to turn the impossible into reality, sealing the match 12-10.
“I just decided that I wasn’t going to give in,” Burger said, still buzzing from the miracle turnaround.
“It was a matter of not looking too far ahead and just keeping my concentration.”
The Houdini act carried him into the semifinals, where he’ll be joined by another Eastern Province standout, top seed Liam Fehrsen, who dispatched Free State’s 12-year-old talent George Hung in straight games.
KwaZulu-Natal’s Rylee Howells also impressed in the girls’ U15s, brushing aside Eden’s Hanja Gildenhuys 3-0 in the opening match of the day.
Day One Verdict
From McDonald’s surgical dismantling of Pienaar, to Groenewald’s first steps on the big stage, to Burger’s Houdini escape in the juniors, the Growthpoint Nationals opened with a cocktail of grit, drama and theatre.
If Thursday proved anything, it’s that squash at this level is never scripted. Seeds can fall, youngsters can rise, and heroes can summon the improbable when the walls close in. In this game, momentum ricochets as suddenly as a ball off the tin, and for fans at the V&A Waterfront, that’s exactly the thrill they came for.
Thursday’s results were:
Seniors
Women: 1-Hayley Ward (EP) bt 8-Helena Hudson (Northerns) 3-0 (11-4 11-5 11-8), 7-Kim McDonald (Northerns) bt 2-Alexa Pienaar (SACD) 3-0 (12-10 11-6 11-7), 3-Alex Commins (WP) bt 6-Lara Patrick (Northerns) 3-0 (11-3 11-3 11-4), 4-Teagan Russell (Joburg Squash) bt 5-Shelomi Truter (SACD) 3-1 (11-13 11-9 11-1 11-9).
Men: 1-Dewald van Niekerk (SACD) bt 3-0 (11-2 11-2 11-5), 8-Luke van Vuuren (SACD), 2-Damian Groenewald (Northerns) bt 7-Jonty Matthys (SACD) 3-0 (11-3 12-10 11-3), 3-JP Brits (SACD) bt 6-John Anderson (Joburg Squash) 3-1 (11-9 6-11 11-8 11-3), 4-Luhann Groenewald (Northerns) bt 5-Reuel Videler (SACD) 3-0 (11-6 11-5 11-9).
U15
Girls: 1-Rylee Howells (KZN) bt 8-Hanja Gildenhuys (Eden) 3-0 (11-6 11-1 11-2), 2-Alyssa Arcangeli (Northerns) bt 7-Mienke Stander (Boland) 3-1 (11-0 11-9 8-11 11-4), 3-Genevieve Lang (WP) bt 6-Nhlalala Masingi (Joburg Squash) 3-0 (11-2 11-3 11-2), 4-Jasmaine Rust (Free State) bt Fatima Packery (EP) 3-0 (1-5 11-1 11-8).
Boys: 1-Liam Fehrsen (EP) bt George Hung (Free State) 3-0 (11-4 11-3 11-3), 2-Codey Abrahams (Eden) bt 7-Jeremy John (KZN) 3-1 (11-9 7-11 11-3 13-11), 6-Zander Smit (Boland) bt 3-Tiaan Goosen (Northerns) 3-0 (11-1 11-9 11-3), 5-Ashton Burger (EP) bt 4-Milton Posthumus (WP) 3-2 (11-4 9-11 6-11 11-9 12-10).
