Wanderers Squash Club, Johannesburg
Zambian, Kelvin Ndhlovu and Christo Potgieter will clash in the men’s final of the GrowthPoint S A Open Squash Championships on the All Glass Court at the Wanderers Club on Saturday, while in a repeat of the GrowthPoint S A National women’s final 3 weeks ago, Milnay Louw again plays Alexandra Fuller.
In the women’s semi-finals the top seeds, Louw and Fuller, dominated their matches against Alexa Pienaar and Christine Ferreira respectively.
In the first men’s semi-final Potgieter, had the measure of 22 year old Dylan Groenewald, who had caused 2 upsets along his path to the semi-final when he had defeated 5/8 seeded J P Brits in straight games and then in the quarter-finals followed up with another upset accounting for second seeded Rodney Durbach in 4 games. Potgieter led 5-2 and 8-4 in the first game before winning it 11-7. The second game showed glimpses of Groenewald’s ability as he took command with some accurate volleys at 7-3 but unforced errors allowed Potgieter back into the game as he levelled at 7-all and notched it 11-9. Points were even in the third game until 6-all when Potgieter’s accurate placings had Groenewald on the run allowing Potgieter to take the match on his first match point at 11-6 and a place in his first major national final.
Easy fluid moving Ndhlovu from Pretoria has dominated a number of provincial events and his patience and accurate placings during the numerous long rallies which were the hallmark of his semi-final clash with Kuhn, who is presently studying in America, saw him run out a 11- 11-9 11-8 winner.
The third and fourth play-off between Alexa Pienaar and Christine Ferriera is scheduled for 10h30 is followed by the women’s and then the men’s final.
Results: Semi-finals: Men : ¾ – Kelvin Ndhlovu (Zam) bt 5/8 – Lawrence Kuhn (FS) 11-6 11-9 11-8; ¾ – Christo Potgieter (NW) bt 9/16- Dylan Groenewald (CG) 11-7 11-9 11-6.
Women: 1- Milnay Louw(N) bt ¾- Alexa Pienaar (SACD) 11-3 11-2 11-6; 2- Alexandra Fuller (WP) bt ¾- Christine Ferreira (N) 11-5 11-2 11-7.
