Dehan van Deventer and Jessica Schiltz have qualified for their respective Region 5 Youth Games singles finals at the Region 5 Youth Games at the Central Tennis Courts in Windhoek, writes Mark Lemke.
While it ensures that Team SA will earn at least a silver medal in each of the boys and girls singles events, gold will be their only objective.
Van Deventer beat the No1 seed, Angolan Daniel Domingos, 6-2, 5-3 (retired), while Schilz earned bittersweet victory over fellow Team SA member, Abigayel Vosloo 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.
In the boys semi-final the Western Cape 15-year-old from the Western Cape set the tone by breaking the top seed early. His pace around the court and his clever shot selection saw him close out a comfortable first set.
The second set began evenly with both players holding serve. The supporters were in full voice in Van Deventer’s corner and he fed off the energy and earned a vital break to go 4-2 up. In the final game of the match, Domingos collapsed due to winding himself in the previous point. The medical team on standby confirmed he needed to retire which meant the Team SA star won the match in straight sets.
Van Deventer said after the match: “I had a chat with Daniel, and I am relieved to hear he is okay. It is not the way I wanted this match to end but I am so pleased to have earned the win. I am confident I can get the job done tomorrow and bring home gold.”
Schilz dominated the beginning of the match, winning the first five games. Vosloo then began to find her rhythm and clawed her way back to even things up at 5-5. The next two games were closely contested, but Schilz did enough to secure them both and take the first set.
“When she pulled it back to 5-5, I told myself that I need to switch back on and not miss more opportunities to win the set. I was frustrated but I used that as fuel to fire myself up,” said the finalist.
The second set was taken by Vosloo after breaking Schilz in the last game. The final set was the most thrilling of all, featuring four breaks in a row. The fifth and decisive break was won by Schilz to put her in prime position to serve for the match. After a long period of deuce, she capitalised on her advantage to secure her opportunity to win gold.
Schilz, 17, reflected on the emotional match after her warm down. “I am very excited for the final. To know that I have Team South Africa supporting me gives me all the motivation I need and I hope I can make everyone proud. I did not want to play against Abigayel. We are teammates, roommates, and friends, so I have mixed emotions.”
Vosloo also spoke after the match. “I would first like to congratulate Jess on the win. It was a great fight from us both and she played incredibly. I think i could have done better in some crucial moments, but it is something I will learn from. I am confident I can win that bronze tomorrow.”
The team’s manager, Teresa Schweitzer, praised the performance of the three athletes after the dust settled. “Dehan was brilliant today and his maturity in the heated moments was impressive. Both the girls fought hard and they should both be proud. Facing your friend is a difficult scenario to navigate and the respect shared between them was heartwarming.”
The singles finals will take place on Thursday, with both Van Deventer and Schilz confident they can add to Team SA’s impressive gold medal tally at these Games.
Photo: Frennie Shivambu