Club La Santa Open – Day Two Recap

Club La Santa Open

Defending champion Kresten Hougaard is looking to retain his title after reaching the Club La Santa Open final.

He faces Morten Jaksland once again as the Dane navigated his way through the ‘Group of Death’.

In the Women’s A final, top seed Nicole Eisler will face Great Britain’s Izzy Bramhall for the crown.

Kresten Hougaard and Morten Jaksland into Club La Santa Open final

12 months ago Kresten Hougaard and Morten Jaksland contested a high-quality final in Lanzarote which Hougaard narrowly won.

This year the pair of them collide again after coming through their respective groups.

Hougaard was made to work by both his opponents, Josselin Gade and Malte Thyregod. He first defeated Gade by +16 to set up a showdown with fellow Dane Thyregod for a spot in the final.

The fast-improving Thyregod put up quite a test for Hougaard, defeating him 21-3 in badminton to open up a healthy lead. However, Hougaard beat him 21-3 in squash in return, meaning he needed just 11 in the tennis.

Some huge serving from Thyregod left Hougaard down 11-7 at the turn. Battling with the windy conditions, the second seed eventually had enough to get the 11 required, winning the match by +9 and advancing to the final.

In Group A, Morten Jaksland lived up to his billing as the top seed. The Dane superbly halted the 12-match unbeaten streak of breakout star Arnaud Genin, winning the squash and tennis 21-3 to overturn a 21 point deficit after badminton.

He then went on to also beat Jesper Hougaard to ensure he returned to the Club La Santa Open final.

Jaksland won when the pair last met at the King of Rackets last year. However, Hougaard triumphed in last year’s Club La Santa Open final. Will Hougaard retain his title or will Jaksland get his revenge?

Arnaud Genin and Malte Thregod will play each other in the third-placed play-off.

They won the Men’s Doubles on Friday, now they face off in the singles final.

Top seed Nicole Eisler to face Izzy Bramhall

In the Women’s A, former World No.2. Izzy Bramhall is looking to win her first Women’s A title since the Latvian Open 2016.

With Anna-Klara Ahlmer forced to retire through injury in her second match, Bramhall’s match against Zuzana Severinova ended up being the decisive contest.

The two put on a match of the highest quality, with Bramhall winning the table-tennis and squash and Severinova claiming the badminton. Bramhall’s 21-8 table-tennis win left her needing just 11 in the tennis.

Severinova played some superb tennis but could not do enough to prevent Bramhall from reaching 11. The tennis ended 21-17 to Severinova, putting Bramhall in the final as both players defeated Kirsten Kaptein in the group.

In Group A, top seed Nicole Eisler won a pair of tight matches to reach her first final of the season. Her opening match against Margaux Randjbar was a topsy-turvy contest with the pair level through the first two sports.

Eisler’s superiority on the squash court shone through as she won 21-7 leaving her needing eight in tennis. Randjbar’s tennis was superb but Eisler got the eight required to win the match.

Her second match was no easier. She faced Women’s B World Champion Natalia Prado, who was making her first step up in the Women’s A category. The French star acquitted herself well in the A, pushing Eisler all the way and eventually losing by only five points, a superb effort on her Women’s A debut.

This leaves Nicole Eisler facing Izzy Bramhall in the Club La Santa Open final. Can the World No.4 win her first title since 2017 or with Izzy Bramhall defeat the top seed?

Margaux Randjbar and Zuzana Severinova will battle for third place.

Nicole Eisler in action against Natalia Prado.

Best of the Rest from day two of the Club La Santa Open

Some more champions were crowned on day two of the event. In the Men’s B Doubles, top seeds Tobias Hausen and Michael Skytte Pedersen defeated Moritz Kreder and Markus Klement to win the tile.

Margaux Randjbar and Markus Klement beat Rahel Grothmann and Marc Grau to win the Mixed B Doubles.

The full results from day two of the Club La Santa Open are available here.

Club La Santa Open day one’s recap is available here.

Sam Barker / FIR Media Officer

 

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