Brianna Robinson dug deep into her reserves of character and skill to realise a long-held dream when she defeated Elzandri Janse van Rensburg to be crowned the Growthpoint SA Junior Nationals U19 women’s squash champion in Cape Town on Saturday.
Facing a determined Northerns opponent, the Joburg Squash player fought back from 2-1 down to level the match before taking control of the fifth game with superb movement around the court to secure a 3-2 victory.
She was joined in the U19 winners’ circle by Northerns top seed Juan-Corne Brand, who also had to dig deep before overcoming Western Province’s Joseph Feast 3-2 in another absorbing final.
In the U17 divisions, Northerns’ Starla Phillips held off a strong challenge from Border’s Kate van Biljon to claim the girls’ title 3-1, while Christian Swanepoel was a cut above the rest in the boys’ section, defeating provincial teammate Ruan Botha 3-0.
For Robinson, the victory represented the culmination of several years of hard work, with the emotions flowing as she began to appreciate the significance of her achievement.
“This has been a big goal for me since I started playing this tournament, so I’m very proud to have got the win,” she said.
“I am so grateful to everyone who has helped me over the past few years to make this sort of result possible.”
Brand had to overcome the disappointment of squandering a match point in the fourth game against Feast in a contest which showcased the best of SA junior squash.
Although the lapse handed Feast a lifeline, Brand regrouped superbly and took an early lead in the deciding game, establishing an advantage he maintained despite a determined effort from his Cape Town opponent.
The final scoreline of 3-11 12-10 12-10 10-12 11-6 reflected the quality and intensity of a match played at the highest level.
In the U17 girls’ final, Phillips recovered strongly after coming under early pressure from longtime rival Van Biljon to secure a deserved 3-1 victory.
Both players entered the final unbeaten, with left-hander Phillips particularly pleased to beat a player who had defeated her in the Growthpoint U15 girls’ final in 2024.
After dropping the opening game 11-8, Phillips seized control with accurate length play, repeatedly pushing Van Biljon into the back corners before capitalising on loose returns with her skilful short game.
There was a brief moment of concern in the fourth game when Phillips, leading 10-6, allowed three match points to slip, but she kept her composure to produce a winning backhand drop and seal the national title.
“I’m feeling good and very happy right now,” Phillips said afterwards.
“I’ve had some good results this year, and also a few bad ones, but I am glad I was able to finish it off today.
“Kate and I have been playing each other for many years and always have a good game, so I’m happy to get the win today.”
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