An action-packed Doubles Day at the IWT Swedish Open saw Mixed Doubles World Champions Christine Seehofer and Dan Busby add another trophy to their collection.
Seehofer also won the Women’s A Doubles title alongside Anna-Klara Ahlmer with the Men’s A Doubles to be concluded over the weekend.
There was further success for Sweden as Tobias Myhre and Stefan Nilsson teamed up to win the Men’s B Doubles with Anders Akesson and Pontus Olofsson winning the Seniors +45 Doubles. The Mixed B Doubles title was won by Kirsten Kaptein and Bruce Shepherd.
Mixed A Doubles: Busby and Seehofer Triumph
It was an impressive day for Busby and Seehofer as they fought their way to the Mixed A Doubles title. The duo opened with their closes match of the day as they took on Swedish favourite Anna-Klara Ahlmer and Rene Lindberg.
Despite the overall scoreline of +6, this match was wrapped up before tennis. Seehofer and Busby stole a 23-21 table tennis lead before backing that up with 21-9 and 21-11 victories in badminton and squash. That 24 point lead was enough for them to win despite losing the tennis 21-3.
Ahlmer and Lindberg gave themselves a slender chance of still winning the competition after beating Emmie Danielsson and Erik Stenfelt in a high-quality all-Swedish affair. However, the final match clinched the title for Seehofer and Busby.
The World Champions were never in trouble as they beat Danielsson and Stenfelt by +30. That sealed their first title as a pair since winning the World Championships earlier this year.
Women’s A Doubles; Seehofer and Ahlmer Demolish Field
Ahlmer and Seehofer teamed up in the Women’s A Doubles to stroll to the title at the Enskede Rackethall. The duo did not drop a set all day, winning both matches in stunning fashion.
They opened with a crushing +53 victory over Dianne Baker and Mie Kjellser. That was then followed up with a +32 win over Emmie Danielsson and Kirsten Kaptein. Danielsson and Kaptein came closest to sneaking a set off the top seeds, losing the table tennis 23-21.
The silver medal was won by Danielsson and Kaptein after they beat Baker and Kjellser.
Mixed B Doubles: Kaptein and Shepherd Fend Off Opposition
Kirsten Kaptein and Bruce Shepherd battled through a strong field to win the Mixed B Doubles title. The second seeds won three matches to lift the title, their closes match coming in the final.
British duo Jo Shelley and Ed Harvey were their final opponents. Shelley and Harvey beat top seeds Dianne Baker and Roland Pichler to reach the final, with an impressive, all-around display.
Kaptein and Shepherd made the faster start in the final, winning the first two sports 21-15. However, Shelley and Harvey battled back with a 21-11 squash victory to make it tight heading to tennis. Kaptein and Shepherd held off a spirited comeback though, winning the tennis 21-13 to seal the title.
Men’s B Doubles: Swedish Success
Unseeded duo Tobias Myhre and Stefan Nilsson won a hard-fought final by just four points to seal a doubles title on home soil.
After an easy first-round match, Myhre and Nilsson had three epic contest on their way to the title. In the quarter-finals, they edged top-seeds Roland Pichler and Sergei Seregin by a single point, before beating Gustaf Moller and Fredrik Samsson by five in the semi-finals.
Their opponents in the final, Oskari Laiho and Joel Pennanen, had an easier ride to the final, their toughest test coming against No.2 seed Alexander Jaatmaa and Johan Rosenberg.
In the final, the table tennis ended up being the decisive set. Myhre and Nilsson won the table tennis 21-15 before Laiho and Pennanen took the next two sports 21-19. A two-point lead heading into tennis left Myhre and Nilsson needing 20. Their Finnish opponents battled hard but ultimately Myhre and Nilsson won 20-18 to seal a well-earned title.
Seniors +45 Doubles: More Swedish Success
Top seeds Anders Akesson and Pontus Olofsson lived up to their billing as they triumphed in the Seniors Doubles. Much like Myhre and Nilsson, they had to work hard to win the title. A +7 win over Ed Harvey and Graham King was their first round-result before winning by just two points in the semi-finals against Henrik Huldschiner and Par Gunnar Mattsson.
In the final, they faced Magnus Aberg and Anders Gustafsson for an all-Swedish final. Akesson and Olofsson were always in control of the final, winning the first three sports to leave them needing just five in tennis. They reached five easily to pick up the trophy.
The full results from the IWT Swedish Open Doubles Day can be found here.
Sam Barker / FIR Media Officer
