Van Schalkwyk completes Gaborone double
Namibia’s rising tennis prospect Mari van Schalkwyk recently turned her breakthrough into back-to-back success by defeating compatriot Joanivia Bezuidenhout 6-2, 6-1 to win her second World Tennis Junior Tour singles title in Gaborone, Botswana.
The victory capped a two-week run on the hard courts of the National Tennis Centre, where the 16-year-old won 12 consecutive singles matches across two J30 tournaments.
Van Schalkwyk claimed 24 of the 25 sets she contested, with her only dropped set coming during the quarter-finals of the second tournament.
Despite those commanding numbers, she said the second title came as another surprise because of the physical challenges she faced during the week.
“It does not really feel different because winning my first title felt unbelievable. But I was just as surprised to win my second because, in the second tournament, I was very tired, sick and dehydrated,” she said.
Returning as the previous week’s champion also changed the expectations surrounding her campaign, with Van Schalkwyk admitting, “It brought me additional pressure.”
Point-by-point approach
Van Schalkwyk began her second title run by advancing unbeaten from Group E.
She recorded identical 6-1, 6-2 victories over Botswana’s Camilla Seetso and Spain’s Daniela Mateos before dispatching South Africa’s Carli Erasmus 6-0, 6-4 to reach the knockout phase.
Her sternest examination came against Zimbabwe’s Rutendo Tom in the quarter-finals. Van Schalkwyk took the opening set 6-2, but Tom responded by claiming the second 6-3, ending a run of 19 consecutive sets won across the two tournaments.
She regained control in the decider, taking it 6-2 to secure a place in the last four despite the fatigue and illness she was managing.
South Africa’s Megan van Vuuren then pushed her in the semi-finals. Van Schalkwyk claimed the first set 6-3 before holding her nerve in a second-set tie-break to seal a 6-3, 7-6 victory and book another all-Namibian final against Bezuidenhout.
The rematch produced a more emphatic scoreline than their first title encounter, which Van Schalkwyk had won 6-2, 6-4 seven days earlier. However, she did not attribute the greater winning margin to a tactical overhaul.
“No, I did not change anything. Instead, I just kept focusing on playing my game point by point,” she said.
That approach allowed her to take the opening set 6-2 before conceding only one game in the second to complete the Gaborone double.
Support from afar
Van Schalkwyk said maintaining a positive mindset throughout two physically demanding weeks was one of the most difficult aspects of her campaign.
She credited veteran coach Johan Theron senior with helping her remain composed, although he was unable to accompany her to Botswana.
“It was really hard for me to stay positive throughout the two weeks, but my coach, Johan Theron, kept me positive and helped me a lot. He supported me every step of the way. Without him, I could not have won these tournaments,” she remarked.
The title double represents a considerable shift for Van Schalkwyk, who had spent more than two years reaching the latter stages of World Tennis Junior Tour events without securing a singles crown.
Higher targets
She has now converted her first two singles finals into titles within the space of seven days and is looking beyond J30 competition towards stronger opposition.
“My next goal is to keep improving my ranking, compete at a higher level and challenge myself against stronger players. I want to see how far I can take my tennis,” she said.
Van Schalkwyk and Bezuidenhout also teamed up again in the girls’ doubles after finishing runners-up at the first tournament, but their second campaign ended in the quarter-finals.
Namibia was also represented in the boys’ singles by Theron’s 14-year-old son, Johan Theron junior, who advanced from the group stage before his run ended in the opening round of the knockout phase.
