By Adnaan Mohamed
At the V&A Waterfront’s Makers Landing, the walls echoed with familiar thuds of dominance as Alex Commins and Dewald van Niekerk once again shut out all challengers at the Growthpoint SA Nationals.
Like seasoned players who know every corner of the court, the titleholders reminded the country why they still call the shots in South African squash.
Van Niekerk, the 28-year-old ironman from SA Country Districts, carved his way into history by clinching a record fifth consecutive crown.
His 3–1 victory over 21-year-old Northerns prodigy Damian Groenewald broke KwaZulu-Natal’s Steve Coppinger’s long-standing record of four straight titles.
Groenewald, fearless and inventive, did something no South African has managed in over a year: he pried a game off Van Niekerk.
But the champion, like a wall that absorbs and redirects everything, adapted and tightened his grip on the match.
“Damian played really well and changed his game, so I had to adjust,” Van Niekerk said. “It’s an incredible feeling to win five in a row.”
On the women’s side, Cape Town’s Commins proved that retirement from the professional tour hasn’t dulled her blade.
At 31, she sliced her way to a sixth national title, taking down Eastern Province rival Hayley Ward 3–1 in a repeat of last year’s final.
Losing the second game only lit her fire. Commins reclaimed the title by dictating the rallies, forcing Ward into the back corners until the match was hers.
“Against Hayley it’s always tough,” she admitted.
“I just tried to stay calm and stick to my game plan.”
But the tournament wasn’t just about the established rulers of the court. The juniors lit up the Nationals with their own fierce rallies
In the U15 boys’ division, Makhanda’s Ashton Burger sealed the title after blitzing Boland’s Zander Smit 3–0, while Eden’s Codey Abrahams staged a thrilling comeback elsewhere to confirm Burger’s triumph.
In the girls’ U15 draw, KwaZulu-Natal’s Rylee Howells was untouchable, storming through the round-robin and polishing off her campaign with a commanding 3–0 win over Northerns’ Alyssa Arcangeli.
From record-breaking legends to hungry newcomers, the Growthpoint SA Nationals served up a feast of squash brilliance providing proof that South African squash’s rally is far from over.