The Racketlon World Tour rolls into Roehampton for this weekend’s IWT London Open. Anna-Klara Ahlmer and Nicolas Lenggenhager are the two top seeds as we are guaranteed a pair of new champions.
Ahlmer leads an eight-player Women’s Singles draw and is going for her second title this month after winning the Latvian Open two weekends ago.
Lenggenhager leads an extremely open Men’s Singles draw that features five of the world’s top 20 and a host of previous title winners.
Men’s Singles – Lenggenhager Dealt Tough Opener Against Wiggin
Nicolas Lenggenhager’s quest for a first elite singles title has been given a rocky start as he opens against New Zealand’s Sion Wiggin. The wildcard beat Lenggenhager at last month’s IWT Swiss Open and will be looking to do the same in the opening round in London.
The other wildcard, Jermaine Manners, is also in the top quarter. Manners is a three-time elite singles title champion but takes on man-of-the-moment, Max Plettenberg. The German is one of the most in-form players on the Racketlon World Tour this year, having finished 2nd and 4th in his last two tournaments. Could London be where Plettenberg gets his hands on a first career title?
There are three more titlists in the second quarter in Ray Jordan, Florian Harca and René Lindberg. Jordan and Harca will clash for the first time, with Harca actually making his first appearance of the 2022 season.
Lindberg is the No.4 seed at the tournament and begins against Switzerland’s Noah Mamié. This is just Mamié’s third time competing in the elite singles category and it’s a tough opener in the No.4 seed. Lindberg has been active in 2022, only losing to Luke and Leon Griffiths.
Men’s Singles – Hageraats Returns in Brit-Heavy Bottom Half
Koen Hageraats is the star attraction in the bottom half of the London Open draw as the Dutchman makes his 2022 season debut. Hageraats exploded onto the scene in 2021, winning the IWT Dunlop Rotterdam Open before unfortunately having to withdraw from the World Championships. This time, he opens against tricky left-handed Brit Alex Du Noyer.
The winner of that match will play either Matthew Davidson or Simon Vaclahovsky. Like Hageraats, Vaclahovsky is making his 2022 debut. Davidson, meanwhile, has been ever-present on the Racketlon World Tour this year.
The only all-British contest comes in the last quarter of the draw. James Langworthy and Jack Bishop are the two who share this honour. The two have played one previous singles match internationally against each other. That came eight years ago at the World Championships in Surrey, with Langworthy beating Bishop by a single point.
The No.2 seed in the draw is Great Britain’s, Duncan Stahl. He opens against France’s
The full Men’s Singles draw is available here.
Women’s Singles – Ahlmer, Enmer and Ladner Join Flurry of Brits in London
Two titles in two weeks. That’s the goal for top seed Anna-Klara Ahlmer as she heads to Roehampton off the back of her triumph in Riga. Ahlmer is heavily involved in the ongoing Race for No.1 and, while a win here cannot take her to the top, it can take her very close. She opens against Matilda Parslow, who is competing in her first tournament of the year.
Regardless of the result, Ahlmer is guaranteed two Brits to start her campaign. That is because the other match in the top half is Women’s +50 champion Jo Shelley against Girls World No.1 Alexandra Ogram. A generational battle to decide who advances to the semi-finals as this duo clashes once again.
The bottom half holds a shock as Izzy Bramhall makes her return to the singles court after last year’s retirement. Bramhall, who is looking to get warmed up ahead of the World Championships, opens against Switzerland’s Dara Ladner.
Myriam Enmer is the No.2 seed in London. Fresh from her title at the Swiss Open, the French superstar takes her tennis talents to Roehampton’s grass courts. Facing her in the opening round is British wildcard and table tennis star Susie Dilloway.
The full Women’s Singles draw is available here.
Men’s A Doubles – Lenggenhager & Lindberg Lead Fascinating Doubles Draw
Three years ago when the Racketlon World Tour came to the Roehampton Club, it was Leon Griffiths and Calum Reid who won the Men’s A Doubles crown. Neither has returned this year, which leaves us with a delicious draw.
Nicolas Lenggenhager and René Lindberg are the top seeds. In 2019 they reached the final of the Finnish Open, losing to Otto Tennila and Kevin Ho Ching Ng. If they’re to reach the final again, they’ll first have to come past Florian Harca and Simon Vaclahovsky. The Austrian-German duo are teaming up as both look to win their first Men’s A Doubles title.
The top half’s other match sees two Dutchmen take on Two Germans. Koen Hageraats is back alongside regular partner Guidi Weijel to take on Thorsten Lentfer and Max Plettenberg. Lentfer is back on the Racketlon World Tour for the first time since the 2019 World Championships.
All the pairs in the bottom half of the draw are teammates from the same nation. New Zealand Racketlon President Chris Bullock makes his Racketlon World Tour debut as he partners with countryman Sion Wiggin. They will take on home favourites Alex Du Noyer and Ray Jordan. The British pair made it onto the podium in 2019, finishing with a bronze medal.
The final contest sees No.2 seeds Dan Busby and Matthew Davidson take on the Mamié Brothers, Léon and Noah. Busby is, by far, the most successful doubles player in this draw, with nine titles to his name. Could he become the 12th male player in racketlon history to pick up double-digit doubles titles?
The full Men’s Doubles draw is available here.
Women’s Doubles – Ahlmer and Enmer Strong Favourites for Another Title Together
Anna-Klara Ahlmer and Myriam Enmer have become quite accustomed to playing together in 2022. After a title in Romania last year, they’ve twice played in Men’s B Doubles categories this year, reaching one final. Now, they’re back in Women’s Doubles action.
As top seeds, Ahlmer and Emner receive a bye straight through to the semi-finals. Second seeds, Kimberley Hay and Jo Shelley enjoy the same fate at the bottom of the bracket.
That leaves two first-round matches to decide who will join them. First up is Cherisse Lau and Alexandra Ogram against Jane Galsworthy and Julia Schirutschke. Lau and Ogram are two of Racketlon’s most promising young talents and they will be looking to take down the more experienced Galsworthy and Schirutschke.
In the bottom half, British pair Susie Dilloway and Matilda Parslow are in action against Dara Ladner and Bethany Pye. The latter is making her Racketlon World Tour debut and has a handy partner in the experienced Ladner. Parslow, meanwhile, is making her first appearance of the 2022 season.
The full Women’s Doubles draw is available here.
Mixed A Doubles – Ahlmer and Busby Headline Mixed Doubles Field
Speaking of first-round byes, Anna-Klara Ahlmer has another one in the London Open Mixed Doubles. She’s back alongside regular partner Dan Busby and is straight into the semi-finals as the top seeds in this six-pair draw.
Myriam Enmer is the No.2 seed alongside Koen Hageraats at the bottom of the draw. These two seeded pairs are joined by eight Brits vying to upset the more established players.
Squash specialists Kimberley Hay and Jack Bishop are in the top half of the London Open draw. They will open their campaign against Alexandra Ogram and Ross Wilson.
The second match sees last year’s runners-up, Matilda Parslow and Johnny Bispham, return to action. It’s not an easy opening match for them though, as they take on Izzy Bramhall and Justin Crowther. The winner of this contest will advance to take on Enmer and Hageraats.
The full Mixed Doubles draw is available here.
The preview for the remainder of the London Open categories will be coming on Thursday.
Keep up to date with all the action from across the London Open. You can follow the results here across the weekend, while we’ll also have daily reports on Racketlon.net and content on both Facebook and Instagram.
The rest of the 2022 FIR World Tour and Challengers are available to view here, with most of this year’s tournaments open for entry.
Sam Barker / FIR Media Officer
