Stine Jacobsen and Leon Griffiths have both reached new singles career highs after a blistering November.
The pair both won at the SWT Dubai Racketlon Classic, with Griffiths also taking a singles title at the IWT Czech Open.
Jacobsen is now the new world No.4 in the Women’s Singles rankings, while Griffiths is up to No.6 in the Men’s Singles Rankings.
There were plenty of other movers in a busy month, with Irina Olsacher making her top-10 debut for the first time and Koen Hageraats entering the top-20.
Men’s Singles – Griffiths Glides to No.6
Leon Griffiths has been under-ranked for a long time but after picking up his second and third singles titles of the year, the Brit moved up 10 spots to No.6 in the latest rankings. He becomes the new British No.2, leapfrogging Duncan Stahl who falls out of the top 10 to No.12.
The top four – Morten Jaksland, Arnaud Genin, Dan Busby and Kresten Hougaard – remain in the same order, but it’s Luka Penttinen who is the new No.5, a high for him as well. The Finn has reached that ranking after finishing as the runner up in Prague.
The two have leapt ahead of Emanuel Schöpf, Rav Rykowski and Benjamin Graenicher, who all fall in the latest rankings. Sylvain Ternon completes the top-10.
Nicolas Lenggenhager is just 10 ranking points away from making his debut in the top-10. The Swiss star grabbed fourth place in Prague to make him the lead contender to be the next newcomer in the top-10.
Koen Hageraats’ bronze medal in Dubai has done wonders for his rankings. The Dutchman has flown up 11 places to land at No.20, breaking into new territory in his young racketlon career. While Michal Kurek moves up three spots to No.25, there’s a seven-spot fall for Christian Wiessner, who suffers from points dropping off from the 2018 IWT Nussloch Open where he reached the final.
Jesper Hougaard’s appearance in Dubai sees the veteran move up 38 spots to No.47. Max Plettenberg has also enjoyed a healthy jump and is inside the top-50 for the first time at No.49.
Outside the top-50 there were 30 place rises for Guidi Weijel and Noah Mamié, who both won Men’s B titles. They are now ranked No.63 and No.73 respectively. Another Men’s B Champion this year, Mateusz Skorek, flew up the rankings. His 69 spot rise sees him crack the top 100 after just two tournaments, landing at No.84. A name to watch in 2022 for certain!
The full Men’s Singles rankings are available here.
Women’s Singles – Big Moves for Jacobsen and Olsacher
Stine Jacobsen has enjoyed an incredible year with four singles titles to her name. Her last of the season came in Dubai and that victory has catapulted her up to No.4 in the world. She is also now less than 600 points behind Zuzana Severinová at No.3 as her season comes to a close.
Jacobsen overtakes Bettina Bugl, Kirsten Kaptein and Nicole Eisler, with Eisler sliding down to No.8. That is because Germany’s Amke Fischer moves up two spots to No.7, returning here for the first time in a number of years.
The other big story from the top 10 is the arrival of Irina Olsacher. The Austrian has emerged as an elite regular this year and has been richly rewarded for her performances. She knocks Izzy Bramhall out of the top-10, with the Briton sliding down to No.13.
There is no other major movement inside the top-25, apart from Martina Meißl’s return to the top-20. Her bronze medal in Prague lifts her up three spots to No.18. There’s a big jump for Women’s B runner-up Hana Rábová. The Czech player is the new No.30 while Germany’s Julia Schirutschke moves up 15 spots to No.34 – a new career-high.
There’s also a new career-high for fellow youngster Alexandra Ogram. The Brit rises seven spots to enter the top-50 for the first time at No.46. After making her debut at the IWT Czech Open, America’s Stephanie Chung debuts at No.98 in the rankings.
The full Women’s Singles rankings are available here.
Mixed Doubles – Jaksland Returns to No.1
Morten Jaksland is once again the reigning Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles World No.1. After winning the World Championship and SWT Dubai Racketlon Classic titles with Christine Seehofer, the Dane dethrones Dan Busby to return to the top of the tree. Seehofer is also now hot on the heels of Busby, just 274 points behind at No.3.
The biggest winner in the top-10 is Nicolas Lenggenhager. The Swiss player rises six spots to land at No.6, entering the top-10 in magnificent style after his Mixed B title with Gaelle Wavre at the World Championship. Wavre is the new No.54, moving up 45 spots.
Nicole Eisler falls out of the top-10 with Kresten Hougaard taking her place at No.10. There’s a big, eight-place rise for Stine Jacobsen, with the Dane landing at No.13. The biggest mover in the top-25 was Loen Griffiths, who flew up 32 spots to land just outside the top-20 at No.21.
Max Plettenberg, Soňa Königsmarková, Mohammed Tarik Koubaa and Marek Hrůza were the other players in the top-100 to rise at least 30 spots, with Plettenberg ranked the highest of the four at No.43.
The full Mixed Doubles rankings are available here.
Men’s and Women’s Doubles – Jaksland and Ahlmer Still Top the Rankings
Anna-Klara Ahlmer and Morten Jaksland remain the clear leaders at the top of the Women’s Doubles and Men’s Doubles rankings after a month of minimal movement at the top.
In the Women’s top-10, the only major movement was Izzy Bramhall falling six places to No.14. That saw Margaux Randjbar and Elisabeth Seehofer move up one spot each, with Amke Fischer completing the top-10 with a three-spot rise. As with her singles ranking, Myriam Enmer’s superb debut season sees her land at No.11 ahead of the IWT Club La Santa Open.
There was a little bit more movement on the Men’s Doubles side. Kresten Hougaard has moved back up to No.2, rising ahead of British duo Duncan Stahl and Dan Busby. There are also two new faces in the top 10. Nicolas Lenggenhager and Leon Griffiths rose 10 and 11 spots respectively to land at No.7 and No.8. They replace Benjamin Graenicher and Lukas Windischberger who both fall out of the top-10.
The likes of Koen Hageraats, Henrik Mustonen and Calum Reid both enjoyed big jumps to end up inside the top-40.
The full Women’s Doubles rankings are available here.
The full Men’s Doubles rankings are available here.
The Best of the Rest – Jacobsen the New Women’s Seniors No.1
Her meteoric rise on the Singles circuit also means that Stine Jacobsen is the new No.1 on the Women’s Seniors Singles rankings. The Dane dethrones Kirsten Kaptein to become a World No.1 for the first time in her glistening career. She also moves to No.7 on the Women’s Seniors Doubles circuit and No.2 on the Seniors Mixed Doubles.
There was a minimal top-10 movement across the rest of the Juniors and Seniors rankings. In the Girls Singles, Julia Schirutschke is the new No.2, replacing Finland’s Anna Wall. Esther Dübendorfer is also the new World No.2 in the Women’s Seniors Doubles, displacing Izzy Bramhall.
The full Racketlon World Rankings can be viewed here.
Sam Barker / FIR Media Officer
Image / Filip Rejthars
