South African padel has reached an exciting milestone, with the country’s first-ever national padel championship crowning its Open Division champions in Cape Town.
The Growthpoint SA Nationals Padel Championships 2026 concluded on Sunday, 18 October, at Padel 365’s Century City club. The tournament brought together players across eight divisions over two weekends, showcasing the growing depth of competition in the sport.
The four Open Divisions took place from 16 to 18 October, following the Age Group Divisions from 9 to 11 October.
Meet the Open Division Champions
Four teams claimed the top honours in the Ladies Elite, Ladies Advanced, Men’s Elite and Men’s Advanced divisions.
- Ladies Elite: Debbie van Aswegen and Linge Steenkamp
- Ladies Advanced: Amé Snyman and Jodie Sutcliffe
- Men’s Elite: Adam van Harte and Jason Blakey-Milner
- Men’s Advanced: DJ Broeksma and Robert Sulcas
Over three days, the Open Divisions delivered the high standard of play the championship set out to showcase. The Elite fields brought together top-tier talent, with matches running from Friday’s opening rounds to Sunday’s finals.
The results also highlighted the competitive spirit across the tournament, as players from different levels came together to test their skills on a national stage.
A First for South African Padel
As South Africa’s first-ever national padel championship, the tournament aimed to raise the bar for the sport locally.
The competition included both Age Group and Open Divisions, creating opportunities for players across different levels to participate. Several players also made their mark across the championship’s two weekends.
The opening weekend’s Age Group champions were:
- Ladies 50+: Jackie Booth and Nannie de Villiers
- Men 55+: Robert Sulcas and Denton Goslett
- Men 45+: Paul Atkinson and Paul Waldburger
- Men 35+: Ockie Oosthuizen and Scott Whysall
The championship’s organisers, Padel 365, thanked all participating players for the standard of play and competitive spirit they brought to the event.
Growthpoint Backs the Sport’s Future
The championship was supported by title sponsor Growthpoint, alongside several other partners.
Norbert Sasse, Group CEO of Growthpoint Properties, said the company was honoured to support the event and hoped the sponsorship would mark the beginning of a long-term journey.
“The idea behind this tournament, and Growthpoint’s sponsorship here, is to become the premier tournament on the South African Padel circuit,” Sasse said.
The championship had a total prize pool of R125,000.
Its supporting partners included Standard Bank, Blu Label Unlimited, CIB, Broll Auctions, FlySafair, Rabie Property Group, Repower Africa and Thorp Motor Group. HEAD served as the official ball partner, while NORdee was the official tournament T-shirt partner.
Padel 365 also acknowledged its staff at the Century City and Richmond Park clubs for their work behind the scenes in delivering both weekends of competition.
Padel With a Purpose
Beyond the competition, the championship also supported a sustainability initiative.
A portion of the sponsorship raised for the event was donated to Amazeballs, a registered non-profit organisation that collects used padel balls and upcycles them into playground equipment, furniture and art.
By repurposing used balls, Amazeballs helps keep them out of landfill. Its work also includes creating play spaces for under-resourced preschools, giving children safe and imaginative places to play.
The contribution adds a community-focused dimension to a championship designed to showcase the sport’s development in South Africa.
The Results: Open Division Top 10
The championship published the following top-ten placements for its four Open Divisions.
Ladies Elite
- Debbie van Aswegen and Linge Steenkamp
- Jackie Booth and Mikayla Plitt
- Clorinda Wessels and Ashleigh de Wet
- Imaan Hassim and Zinel Parau
- Lucinda Gibbs and Lea Sterley
- Elizma Slabbert and Martie Wahl
- Jamie Dodd and Jess Brown
- Tamara Pieters and Michelle van Staden
- Caprice Ebersey and Nannie de Villiers
- Hayley Nel and Kimberley Whysall
Ladies Advanced
- Amé Snyman and Jodie Sutcliffe
- Catherine Atkinson and Janine Stokes
- Courtney Cornelius and Jessica Lemmon
- Natasha Jansen and Shan Wilson
- Chelsea du Plessis and Martina Cho
- Brenda Smith and Renette Kingston
- Jamie Read and Crystal Wang
- Kerry Bee and Elizna Wilken
- Amy Wilson and Jessica Wilson
- Helene Roos and Keri Harker
Men’s Elite
- Adam van Harte and Jason Blakey-Milner
- Juan-Louis van Antwerpen and Joshua Heath
- Egmond van Heerden and Warren Kuhn
- Aidan Carrazedo and Tremayne Mitchell
- Leeuwner van der Merwe and Oloff van Achterbergh
- Martin Redelinghuys and James Munro
- Ockie Oosthuizen and Scott Whysall
- Max Bendel and Charl Vos
- Hamza Kana and Tim Korsten
- Philip Franken and Marc Anderson
Men’s Advanced
- DJ Broeksma and Robert Sulcas
- Abdullah Davids and Mieka-eel Jacobs
- Franco Smit and DF Luttig
- Cebo Faleni and Mark Stillerman
- Joshua Greyling and Marc Anderson
- Codi van Reenen and Michael Moreland
- Michael Georgiades and Raphael Georgiades
- Adam Closenberg and Ryan Stein
- Colin Sher and Pierre-Hugo Dupey
- Jared Hoole and Michael Brits
A Championship Looking Ahead
The Growthpoint SA Nationals Padel Championships 2026 brought players together across age groups and competitive levels for a landmark national event.
With its Open Division champions crowned, a R125,000 prize pool and support for the Amazeballs initiative, the championship combined competitive padel with a wider commitment to growing the sport.
Padel 365 operates clubs in Cape Town and Johannesburg, including Century City, Richmond Park and Greenstone Shopping Centre.
