Cape Town – 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 South African 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.
It was a disappointing end to the championships for Janse van Rensburg, who had won the Growthpoint U17 title in 2024 and 2025.
She had also lost to KwaZulu-Natal’s Makayla Naidoo earlier in the tournament to finish third in her section.
For Robinson, however, 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 just 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 South African 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.”
The final results from Saturday play were:
U17 Girls
1-4: Starla Phillips (Northerns) bt Rylee Howells (KZN) 3-0 (11-4 11-7 11-8), Kate van Biljon (Border) bt Chelsey Cameron (KZN) 3-0 (11-5 11-4 11-5), Riley Howells (KZN) bt Chelsey Cameron (KZN) 3-1 (7-11 11-3 11-8 11-5), Starla Phillips (Northerns) bt Kate van Biljon (Border) 3-1 (8-11 11-8 11-8 11-9).
Final placings: 1 Starla Phillips (Northerns), 2 Kate van Biljon (Border), 3 Rylee Howells (KZN), 4 Chelsey Cameron (KZN).
5-8: Keira Huang (Free State) bt Lala Masingi (Joburg Squash) 3-1 (8-11 11-7 11-8 11-8), Genevieve Lang (WP) bt Shannon Render (Northerns) 3-1 (11-6 11-3 3-11 12-10).
Final placings: 1 Keira Huang (Free State), 2 Genevieve Lang (WP), 3 Shannon Render (Northerns), 4 Lala Masingi (Joburg Squash).
U17 Boys
1-4: Christian Swanepoel (Eden) bt Ross Smorfitt (Eden) 3-0 (11-6 11-7 11-5), Cobus Schimper (Free State) bt Ruan Botha (Eden) 3-1 (11-9 12-14 11-9 11-9), Cobus Schimper (Free State) bt Ross Smorfitt (Eden) 3-2 (10-12 11-9 12-10 9-11 13-11), Christian Swanepoel (Eden) bt Ruan Botha (Eden) 3-0 (11-7 11-1 11-7).
Final placings: 1 Christian Swanepoel (Eden), 2 Cobus Schimper (Free State), 3 Ruan Botha (Eden), 4 Ross Smorfitt (Eden).
5-8: Logan Kidson (Northerns) bt Mathew McKenzie (KZN) 3-1 (11-7 6-11 11-4 11-4), Dewan Borstlap (Northerns) bt Milton Posthumus (WP) 3-1 (11-4 11-8 10-12 11-9).
Final placings: 1 Logan Kidson (Northerns), 2 Mathew McKenzie (KZN), 3 Dewan Borstlap (Northerns), 4 Milton Posthumus (WP).
U19 Women
1-4: Makayla Naidoo (KZN) bt Dane Meintjies (Boland) 3-0 (11-6 11-5 11-6), Brianna Robinson (Joburg Squash) bt Elzandri Janse van Rensburg (Northerns) 3-2 (11-9 5-11 7-11 11-6 11-5).
Final placings: 1 Brianna Robinson (Joburg Squash), 2 Makayla Naidoo (KZN), 3 Elzandri Janse van Rensburg (Northerns), 4 Dane Meintjies (Boland).
5-8: Hanrie Duits (Eden) bt Emma Hill (EP) 3-0 (11-4 11-8 13-11).
Final placings: 1 Hanrie Duits (Eden), 2 Benedette van Tonder (Free State), 3 Emma Hill (EP), 4 Tara Neville-Smyly (WP).
U19 Men
1-4: Thomas Boutall (WP) bt Benji Newman (EP) 3-0 (11-8 11-9 11-1), Juan-Corne Brand (Northerns) bt Joseph Feast (WP) 3-2 (3-11 12-10 12-10 10-12 11-6)
Final placings: 1 Juan-Corne Brand (Northerns), 2 Joseph Feast (WP), 3 Thomas Boutall (WP), 4 Benji Newman (EP)
5-8: Bandile Mahaye (KZN) bt Luan van Zyl (Eden) 3-2 (7-11 4-11 11-9 11-5 11-7).
Final placings: 1 Dean Katzin (Free State), 2 Bandile Mahaye (KZN), 3 Luan van Zyl (Eden), 4 Joel Rix (Boland).
