ERIN Lazarus said it was yet to sink in that she landed the women’s singles title in the South African Blackball National Championship, which concluded on Saturday at the playTSOGO Globe at Suncoast Casino in Durban.
Lazarus, 21, of Durban North, said the SA singles trophy was the most sought after title locally, and she was chuffed that to have pocketed it in her hometown.
She said she was hugely disappointed at losing in the semi-stage of the same tournament two years ago, and that disappointment provided her with extra motivation going into the latest version of the competition, which attracted 82 entrants, all vying for the singles crown.
“I rate this win as one of my best achievements on the pool table to date. It certainly ranks up there with me winning the World Doubles competition with my partner in Morocco in 2022.
“This competition was always on my mind especially since it is so tough to win and I missed out in 2023
“Having my family and huge support from local pool players was a great feeling.”
The win has provided Lazarus with automatic entry into the All Africa Championships later this year and a very likely shot at the Commonwealth Games championship, to be held in Mauritius in July.
Lazarus is no stranger to flying the South African colours in international competitions. She was a member of the SA team that finished runners-up in the team event, during Blackball International’s World Championships, played in Bridlington, England, during October last year.
Since her teenage years, Lazarus has been landing international caps with the various age-group teams she represented.
Inspired by her father Ian, she took up the sport, and enjoyed multiple successes over the years.
She became the youngest player to make the senior national team with her selection for the World Championships in Australia in 2020, which was shelved due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Going into the Durban tournament, Lazarus was a bit ring-rusty,
Over a month ago, she needed to have surgery done and the recuperation and rehabilitation time took away some of her usual match sharpness.
Besides, she decided to ease her playing schedule this year and focus on her studies in business science and finance at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, as the next World Championships was in 2026.
With the competition played on a knockout basis, it gave competitors no room for error
The player who reaches six frame wins in a match and progresses to the next round.
Lazarus won her first match 6-2 but she laboured hard for the victory.
Her second match needed a deciding game to separate her and Anamari Du Toit, her doubles partner in the Morocco World Championship success.
Lazarus said that match helped her with her focus and she played some assured pool to reach the semi-finals on Friday.
There she beat eight-times SA Champ Nichola Rossouw 6-2.
She said reaching the final was a gruelling effort as she had to play five of her matches on Friday.
Her opponent in the final was Joy Willenberg from Western Cape. After some initial nerves, Lazarus raced to a 5-2 lead in a best of 7 match contest.
She eventually got through 7-4.
“Now looking forward to the other big events to come in 2025,” she said.
DAILY NEWS