Anna-Klara Ahlmer and Koen Hageraats are the IWT London Open champions after winning their respective finals on Sunday.
Ahlmer won her second Women’s Singles title of the month after a sublime squash set helped her beat Myriam Enmer.
Squash was also a major factor in Hageraats’ win against Nicolas Lenggenhager, as he adds a second elite singles title to his collection.
The two finals both saw tennis on the beautiful grass courts at the Roehampton Club in London.
Women’s Singles – Ahlmer Beats Enmer to Move Closer to World No.1
The top of the Women’s game is in a fascinating place at the moment. With Christine Seehofer retired, there is an ongoing battle to be No.1 in the world. Zuzana Severinová is top of the standings at the moment, but Anna-Klara Ahlmer, Stine Jacobsen and Myriam Enmer are all within reach in the future.
Anna-Klara Ahlmer has taken a huge leap forward in her quest to be World No.1 this month. Champion in Latvia. Champion in London.
Ahlmer went into the final with a 6-0 head-to-head lead against Enmer. But the Swede was also aware that Enmer is improving rapidly, picking up her first title in Switzerland last month.
In the final, Ahlmer made the faster start, winning table tennis 21-10. This was actually just the second time Enmer had reached double figures in table tennis, so put her in a decent spot, despite the loss.
That was made even more obvious when the French star took the badminton 21-12 to close Ahlmer’s lead to just two points. Enmer had never been so close after two sports.
In their six previous meetings, Ahlmer has only won the squash to single figures twice. Today, she was absolutely flawless. The Swede ruthless squash to win 21-3, stifling any chance Enmer had of getting her first win against Ahlmer.
Ahlmer got the two points she needed in tennis to get her hands on the London Open title. The third title that she’s won this season and the ninth of her career. An incredible run for Ahlmer who will now close to 201 points behind World No.1 Severinová. Attention for both Ahlmer and Enmer will now turn to the World Championships next month in Austria.
Alexandra Ogram finished with a bronze medal at the London Open for the second year in a row as she continues her excellent racketlon development.
The full Women’s Singles results are available here.
Men’s Singles – Hageraats Outclasses Lenggenhager for Statement Win Ahead of World Champs
Koen Hageraats enjoyed a near-perfect Sunday in the summer sunshine, as he took out the top two seeds at the Roehampton Club to win his second career singles title.
He began the day with a semi-final contest against No.2 seed Duncan Stahl. In his opening two matches, Hageraats had won by +22 points against Alex Dy Noyer and Simon Vaclahovsky. Why break from tradition? The Dutchman once again delivered a +22 win, beating Duncan Stahl before tennis after winning table tennis and badminton.
In the final, he would take on top seed Nicolas Lenggenhager. The improving Swiss star ended the run of teenage prospect Florian Harca. The badminton was the decisive set in that semi-final, with Lenggenhager breaking Harca’s defences with a crushing 21-3 win.
It was a fascinating final, with Lenggenhager and Hageraats having never played before. As expected, the duo split the opening two sports. Hageraats snatched a 21-7 table tennis win before Lenggenhager retaliated 21-8 on the badminton court.
The momentum swung in Hageraats’ favour as he controlled the squash. A solid 21-10 result left him needing just 10 points on the tennis court. Despite his best effort, Lenggenhager couldn’t produce a comeback. Hageraats won 10-7 to ensure he got his hands on a second elite singles title.
Hageraats now turns to the World Championships where he’ll be considered one of the favourites. Lenggenhager will enjoy one more warm-up tournament, taking part in August’s IWT German Open.
Duncan Stahl joined the duo on the podium after masterminding a superb win over Florian Harca to win a bronze medal.
The full Men’s Singles results are available here.
IWT London Open Coverage
You can discover how Ahlmer and Hageraats advanced to the final by checking out Saturday’s tournament report here. Both were also among the winners on Friday’s Doubles Day. A full report from Friday is available here.
A full report from the Juniors, Seniors and Amateurs categories will be available late on Monday or early on Tuesday.
You can rewatch moments from the Men’s and Women’s Finals here.
Interested in competing in a Racketlon World Tour tournament? Our list of 2022 tournaments is available here, with all tournaments hosting a range of different categories so that players of all ages and abilities can take part.
Sam Barker / FIR Media Officer
Image Credit / Leigh Sands
