Namibian junior squash prodigy Francois Hanekom reached a new milestone when he beat Namibia’s top-ranked senior player, Arno Diekmann, for the first time to win the Fabupharm Wanderers Open over the weekend.
In an exhilarating final, the third-seeded Hanekom, who only turns 15 next month, dug deep to beat the top-seeded Diekmann 3-2 (11-7, 6-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-5) in a marathon match that lasted more than an hour.
It had plenty of drama and emotion – protracted rallies, great returns and athleticism from both players that had the crowd on its feet, cheering for more; near exhaustion and cramps; and tears as an emotional Hanekom finally won the match.
Earlier the same day, Hanekom beat the second-seeded Le-Hugo van Rooyen 3-0 (11-8, 15-13, 11-5), while Diekmann beat the fourth-seeded Andrew Fourie 3-1 (10-12, 11-4, 11-6, 11-1).
Adri Lambert, meanwhile, won the women’s title after beating Kirsten Wolhuter 3-0 (11-3, 11-1, 13-11) in the final.
In the semi-finals, the top-seeded Lambert beat the fourth-seeded Anja Fourie 3-0 (11-5, 11-0, 11-5), while the second-seeded Wolhuter beat the third-seeded Kotie Boonzaaier 3-1 (11-7, 12-10, 12-14, 11-9).
Hanekom’s father, Francois Sr, says the players were exhausted.
“They played the semi-finals in the morning, so it was obviously two big games in a day, and it was really hot as well, so it took its toll on the players. And then the final lasted for more than an hour, so it was really tough on the guys physically,” he says.
After the players were tied at one set all, 1-1, Diekmann took a crucial 2-1 lead after coming from behind to win the third set.
“Francois was up 9-6 in the third, and was looking strong, but Arno came back to win that set. When Francois came off court, I could see that he was upset, and he said to me that was his game to win,” he says.
“He felt he had let himself down by losing that set because he came so close and only needed two more points to win the set. It’s tough to come back being 2-1 down and knowing that your opponent only needs one more set to win the match, so to show that big match temperament as a 14-year-old is amazing,” he adds.
Hanekom, meanwhile, says he was determined to win the match.
“I was really determined to beat Arno because he was the number one and I had never beaten him before, so I just wanted to show that I can beat him and I knew I could do it,” he says.
“The biggest challenge was just to keep my focus. He’s a very strong and structured player so I knew if I lose my focus he would take advantage of that. So I just kept my focus and pushed on through,” he adds.
He says the victory meant a lot.
“This win means so much to me – it proved that I can and that I want to win. I want to be the best and I want to improve and seek more of these wins in these kind of matches,” he says.
“I just want to thank everyone who believed in me and believed in my journey – it means so much to me,” Hanekom adds.
REMARKABLE SEASON
Hanekom’s latest victory has capped a remarkable year during which he has already made his mark on the African continent.
In March he won the South African u15 Junior Championships after beating South Africa’s top u15 player Milton Posthumus 11-3, 11-4, 11-4 in the final, while he also reached the final of the Boland u19 Junior Open where he lost to Joel Rix who is ranked fourth in South Africa.
In the same month he received a special wildcard entry for the SA u19 Championships in Pretoria, where he reached the quarter-finals before losing to South Africa’s second ranked u19 player, JC Brand.
In July he was the runner-up at the Africa Junior u19 Squash Open in Cape Town after losing to another top-five ranked South African player, Thomas Boutall, in the final.
Hanekom has several more tournaments lined up this year, including the Garden Route Junior Open in Mossel Bay, and the South African u23 National Championships and the Western Province Senior Open in Cape Town, while there are also big plans in store for 2027 according to Francois Sr.
“If everything goes according to plan and if we can raise enough sponsorships, Francois will travel abroad next year to receive top class training from Nick Matthew, a former world number one, who is also currently coaching South Africa’s top player, Dewald van Niekerk,” he says.
Hanekom, meanwhile, has his goals set out clearly.
“My goals for next year are to get a good Professional Squash Association ranking, to win another Namibian title, to go and perform well in South Africa and to hopefully go and train in England,” he says.
