Ackerman lands another treble

“I’m happy with my results. I managed to find my feet in the first game, which helped me a lot in the second.”

July 27, 2023

Lebohang Pita 1 minute read

Amy Ackerman poses with the trophies won during the Badminton South Africa U19 Championships.

Eastern Gauteng Badminton Association (EGBA)’s Amy Ackerman (18) won her second successive Badminton South Africa (BSA) U19 championship treble after clinching the singles, doubles and mixed-doubles trophies in the open section during the inter-provincial tournament in Durban last month.

This follows her triple crown in the same competition in Bloemfontein last year.

Ackerman started her feast with a 21-11 and 21-5 straight sets defeat of Tamsyn Smith from Southern Gauteng Badminton Association, to win the women’s singles title.

“I’m happy with my results. I managed to find my feet in the first game, which helped me a lot in the second,” she said to BSA TV.

The St Dunstan’s College learner then teamed up with Mia Labuschagne to beat the team of Kerisha Dorasamy and Smith 21-10 and 21-11 for the women’s doubles trophy.

She claimed her third title in the mixed doubles with partner Barco Scheffer in a hard-fought 21-5, 19-21 and 21-19 victory against Neil van Wyk and Labuschagne.

“We are proud of Amy for her triple crown in the championships. This is an amazing achievement,” said EGBA’s Vicky Fenny.

Road to Paris

Deidré Laurens Jordaan and Amy Ackerman in their women’s doubles match against Algeria’s Yasmina Chibah and Linda Mazri. Photo: Badminton Confederation Africa

The champion is currently on the Road to Paris Programme, trying to qualify for next year’s Olympic Games.

She and her doubles partner, Deidrè Jordaan, lost in the semis of the Mauritius International after going down 15-21, 21-10 and 21-6 to top-ranked American duo Srivedya Gurazada and Ishika Jaiswal.

Since starting their RTP journey, Ackeman and Jordaan have steadily moved up the women’s doubles rankings. They are currently ranked 77th in the world and in first on the continent.

The duo will have another opportunity to earn valuable points in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Championships in Denmark in August, which they qualified for after winning the women’s doubles title during the All Africa Championships in February.

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