Upsets and unwavering support at junior national championships

The Growthpoint Junior National Championships entered its fifth day with some breathtaking matches as the junior players fought hard for spots in the finals.

The day was marked by some stunning upsets as the top seeds in some categories were toppled, while others continued to dominate the competition.

Kaitlyn Ramduth, the top seed in the girls under-18, had a comfortable 6-1, 6-4 win over Hailey Troup, setting up a final clash with fifth seed Hanmaré MC Aslin.

In contrast, the girls under-16 saw a major upset as Allegra van der Walt of Gauteng defeated top seed Morgan Jordaan 6-2, 6-3.

Van der Walt will face off against second seed Donna le Roux of Free State for the title.

In the boys under-18 category, seventh seed Cornel Liebenberg caused a major upset by defeating the top seed Drikus De Jager 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-4 in the quarterfinal clash.

He continued his winning streak in the semifinal, defeating Tiaan Nelson 7-6(4), 6-2 to set up a final showdown with second seed Rudiger Dusselberg.

The boys uder-16 semifinals were not without drama, with Reuben De Klerk defeating Dawid Scholtz in a hard-fought 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4 victory.

In another closely contested match, 11th seed John Bothma defeated second seed Connor Doig 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

The Growthpoint Junior National Championships have seen some outstanding performances by the junior players, and the Tuesday finals promise to be a thrilling culmination of a week of intense competition.

SEMFINAL RESULTS

Under-18

[1] Kaitlyn Ramduth (KZN) def. Hailey Troup (WC) 6-1, 6-4

[5] Hanmaré MC Aslin (WC) def. [6] Luise Janse Van Rensburg (FS) 6-2, 6-2

Under-16

[10] Allegra van der Walt (GP) def. [1] Morgan Jordaan (GP) 6-2, 6-3

[2] Donna Le Roux (FS) def. [9] Almé Van Schalkwyk (GP) 6-3, 6-3

Under-14

[1] Alicia Taylor (WC) def. [14] Gitta-mè Victor (NW) 6-0, 6-0

[2] Jahnie Van Zyl (NW) def. [8] Charlotte Bouwer (WC) 6-0, 6-1

Under-12

[1] Lily Haley (KZN) def. [4] Lea Dube (KZN) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

[3] Megan Van Vuuren (WC) def. [2] Gabriella Coetzee (GP) 6-3, 7-5

Boys

Under-18

[7] Cornel Liebenberg (FS) def. [8] Tiaan Nelson (GP) 7-6(4), 6-2

[2] Rudiger Dusselberg (GP) def. Senthen Reddy (KZN) 6-4, 6-2

Under-16

[1] Reuben De Klerk (NW) def. [4] Dawid Scholtz (WC) 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4

[11] John Bothma (KZN) def. [2] Connor Doig (KZN) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2

Under-14

[5] JP Snyman (MP) def. [6] Ethan Pieber (WC) 6-3, 6-4

Israel Dowie (WC) def. [2] Hlumani Kekana (WC) 1-6, 6-3, 6-3

Under-12

[16] Nathan Herbert (FS) def. [1] Keegan Groenewald (GP) 6-2, 7-5

[3] Juvan Van Pletzen (NW) def. [2] Nicholas Kruger (WC) 0-6, 6-4, 6-4