You know it’s a World Championships when you look at the B Grade and see names like Michał Kurek and Anthony Duthuillé. It’ll be a 4-day racketlon feast, kicking off with the World Doubles Championships today and tomorrow, followed by the Swiss Open IWT on Saturday and Sunday. Here’s your preview for the doubles!
Men’s Doubles
4 time World Men’s Doubles Champion, Leon Griffiths, has a new doubles partner. He’s teaming up with Koen Hageraats, who he won the 2024 Czech Open with. They’ll obviously be be tough to beat, but there are so many other contenders in the draw!
Hong Kong pair Steven Cheng & Kevin Ng won their home tournament last year and are in the same quarter as Leon & Koen.
Christian Wiessner is a 2 x World Men’s Doubles Champion. In 2018, he won the elite category with Thorsten Deck, and in 2022 in the B/C Grade, with Thorsten Lentfer. He’ll be teaming up with Lentfer again this year and the Germans have a first round match against Nicolas Champod & Sylvain Ternon, with 3/4 seeds Nicolas Lenggenhager & Leon Sam waiting for the winner.
Germans Bastian Böhm & Cornelius Radermacher are the other 3/4 seeds. Cornelius was in red hot form in the Berlin Open two weeks ago. Let’s see if it can continue.
In the bottom quarter is Pekka Kainulainen & Henrik Mustonen. Speaking to Henrik after his Berlin Open triumph, he said, “doubles with my coach Pekka is my highlight. Also very nice to play with Marie [Jaussien] for the first time.” The Finns may face Danish pair Kresten Hougaard & Malte Thyregod in round 2. Kresten is also a World Doubles Champion.
Women’s Doubles
8 strong pairs will contest the Women’s Doubles this year. Number 1 seeds are defending Seniors +40 World Champions, Kirsten I. Kaptein & Adeline Kilchenmann.
Also in the top half are two World Singles Champions, Myriam Enmer & Nathalie Vogel. It’ll be the first time they’ve played doubles together on the World Tour.
Defending Champion, Anna-Klara Ahlmer is teaming up with a 3 time World Doubles Champion, Stine Jacobsen. The pair are second seeds and will face British pair Mollie Patterson & Holly Ranson in round 1.
Mixed Doubles
New World number 1, Pauline Cavé, will not be contesting the Mixed Doubles. But don’t be fooled – this is an insanely strong field.
Number 1 seeds, Stine Jacobsen & Cornelius Radermacher, fresh from their Berlin Open victory, might have been hoping for an easy draw. But they’ll be put to the test immediately, facing the winner of Anna-Klara Ahlmer & Christian Wiessner vs. Marie Jaussein & Henrik Mustonen.
The second quarter looks just as tough, with French pair Flore Allègre & Sylvain Ternon vs. Nathalie Vogel & Kresten Hougaard. The winner will play Swiss combination Adeline Kilchenmann & Léon Mamié, who are seeded 3/4.
Last year’s runner-up, Amke Fischer & Leon Griffiths, will try to go one better this year. They will face at least one Brit in round 2.
Myriam Enmer & Koen Hageraats, who have never lost together, are unseeded and in the same quarter as Hong Kong duo Joyce Chan & Kevin Ng.
Check out all of the draws from under 18s to over 60s, from A Grade to D Grade.
