Anna-Klara Ahlmer beat Kirsten Kaptein in the Women’s Singles final to complete a Triple Crown at the IWT Latvian Open.
After winning the Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles titles on Saturday, Ahlmer was imperious as she beat Kaptein before tennis for her 7th career singles title.
Leon Griffiths defeated Oliver Bühler in the Men’s Singles final to collect his second title of the season. Earlier on Sunday, Leon had got revenge over younger brother Luke, battling past him in the semi-finals.
Women’s Singles – Ahlmer Collects Second Career Triple Crown
It was a near flawless weekend for Anna-Klara Ahlmer. The Swede won three trophies in Latvia for the loss of just three sets – a truly remarkable feat.
Ahlmer’s perfect weekend was capped off in the Women’s Singles final against Kirsten Kaptein. The most competitive of the three sets was table tennis, with Kaptein earning 18 points. From badminton onwards, Ahlmer wrestled control.
The Swedish champion strolled through the next two sports. She took the badminton 21-8 and then completed her dominant win with a 21-3 squash victory.
A hugely dominant weekend from Ahlmer as she continues preparations for next month’s IWT Latvian Open. That 7th singles title ties her with countrywoman Linda Jansson at No.10 on the all-time list. Ahlmer will next be in action at the IWT London Open in two weeks’ time.
Stine Krogsøe finished third after beating Alexandra Ogram in the bronze medal match.
The full Women’s Singles results are available here.
Men’s Singles – Leon Griffiths Wins Latvian Open Again
In 2018, Leon Griffiths won his first Latvian Open Men’s Singles title. Four years later, he has picked up his second.
Griffiths looked back to his best on Sunday as he won both his semi-final and final without dropping a set. First up in the semi-final was his brother Luke Griffiths.
In Sheffield Luke produced his greatest career performance to date, beating his older brother on a dramatic gummiarm. Today, Leon got his revenge. The older Griffiths brother took the table tennis 21-17 before dominating the badminton with a crushing 21-11 victory.
Luke needed a superb squash to produce a comeback but couldn’t manage it. Instead, it was Leon who edged it 23-21 before closing out the match 6-5 on the tennis court.
Joining Griffiths in the final was Oliver Bühler. The World No.10 won the all-Swiss battle against Christian Schaefer, with a 21-10 badminton win the marquee victory. Schaefer led by nine points before the tennis, eventually winning 13-6 to get himself into another Racketlon World Tour final.
While Bühler made a quick start to table tennis, racing to a 6-3 lead, it was Griffiths that grew into the set. Eventually, the top seed took table tennis 21-13 to establish an early lead.
The badminton was a crushing 21-3 which left Bühler with far too much to do. Griffiths was able to enjoy the squash as he rolled to victory, picking up his second title of the season.
That’s now an 8th career singles title for Leon Griffiths who draws level with Canada’s Patrick Laplante. Like Ahlmer, he’s also now 10th on the all-time singles list and will have a big eye on the World Championships next month.
Luke Griffiths picks up a bronze medal after beating Schaefer for the final spot on the podium. Not without drama though, as Luke managed to create a dent in the tin of the squash court after banging into it with his head following a dramatic dive to pick up a Schaefer drop shot.
The full Men’s Singles results are available here.
A full report from the amateur and seniors categories will be published on Monday.
Check out the 2022 Racketlon World Tour here. We currently have multiple tournaments open for players of all ages and abilities.
Sam Barker / FIR Media Officer
