Koen Hageraats claimed his first World Championships with a victory against number two seed Joerg Kanonenberg after a fantastic run through the hardest part of the draw.
It is very well deserved for a player who trains with great dedication (all but his table tennis which he does not need to as it has long been brilliant) and who has come close on multiple occasions, including losing in the final in Austria in 2022 to an 18-year-old but already excellent Luke Griffiths, and then bronze medals in 2023 and 2025.
“I am out of words,” he said. “I hoped to do it in Rotterdam as it’s the last time. Unbelievable. I haven’t drunk alcohol in two months. Always I prepare two months really serious. So, definitely, tonight I am going to drink a lot of beers!”
It was particularly deserved not just for the final but his run to it, in which he beat three-time World Champion Luke Griffiths in the quarter-final and six-time World Champion Jesper Ratzer in the semi-final. He humbly called the two probably the best players in the tournament.
“I felt quite good during the week. But today I felt really cramped. Joerg is a really difficult player player for me – and his badminton I really hate. So even though I was the favourite I think profile-wise it was quite even. I think until now it was 3-2. So I am really happy.”
In the final he faced Joerg ‘the Canon’ Kanonenberg in front of big evening crowd (in the final few points of badminton there was a sudden rush as people saw each other rushing to the squash to ensure seats).
Koen played typically brilliant TT to take the first set of the match 21-7 and then Joerg nearly reversed that, 21-11, in probably Koen’s least strong discipline, badminton (although of course at this level ‘least strong’ is of course very relative).
Squash was key. Koen is the stronger player but Joerg is a very solid squash player so you felt the score could feasibly be a narrow or big win for Koen, and if the former then Joerg had a great chance in tennis, his strongest sport.
But Koen continued the excellent squash shown in the tournament to win it 21-7, leaving the German the almost-impossible task of winning 21-2 (or 21-3 and gummi). Such was Joerg’s all-attack approach, you’d say he knew things were over already and he had nothing to lose, but so good is his tennis that he basically always plays that way!
Koen said: “In table tennis, I guess I played quite well, but he managed to read my serve quite well. Whereas normally, against others, I get a lot of free points on my serve, with my spin.”
“In badminton, I think he’s better but not that much better, but for some reason I didn’t get to play it well. I think I should get 14.”
“In squash, I am the way better player but he still hits lots of awkward shots down the middle and he works hard.”
“In tennis, he is just way better.”
“I was happy with the table tennis score and the squash score as well, but the badminton score I was not happy. In tennis I am happy too, to get four points, at 7-4. I think he is a really good tennis player. I think the best tennis player on tour.”
He is a great ambassador for the sport too, apologising for his celebratory shouting during the match (I don’t think people would expect anything less in a World Champs final…) and thanking the commentators and volunteers.
“Sorry for the loud cheers. I really did it for my nerves,” he explained. “What I really love about squash is that you move so much you lose your nerves. But in table tennis you don’t move so much.”
“I really was so nervous today. It’s a lot of friends and family coming – at least 20 or 25 people here for me. So I was really anxious. I knew I had to just shout, shout, shout, shout, shout.”
Then, speaking to Johnny Williams, former squash pro in the commentary box, he added, “I’m definitely going to watch back to see all the tips. I really love that you were here today. For racketlon too it’s really great, that some [former] professional sportsmen are here.”
“I want to thank all the volunteers. Of course, Duncan, as an FIR President, for putting on this tournament for four years. Also, I know a lot of Dutch players from squash here, like Fleur, and all the other people… thank you for doing all the stuff today and the last three days to make it possible.”
Most would probably consider the best matches those with tight scores across all the four disciplines, marathon encounters testing each players’ will and discipline. But there can be great intrigue in matches with heavy wins in all sets too; players working out, respectively, how to play in a way to not make mistakes and to raise their game, perhaps play some riskier shots than normal, to get into double figures.
That proved the case in the match against Luke, as Koen triumphed 21-4, 7-21, 21-9, 7-20.
In the semi-final against Jesper he won 21-10, 7-21, 21-9, 13-11. While the first two sports went mostly as expected, the squash score came very out of the blue.
Jesper was the favourite, with Koen saying he would have been happy with a 21-19 win, but the Dutchman controlled rallies, with great strength and depth, against someone who has played for the Danish national team. Johnny Williams was amazed and raving about how good it was.
Earlier, Jesper had beaten Malte Thyregod 21-13, 21-23, 21-3, a big turnaround from their result in Denmark earlier this year, showing the trademark preparation and focus Jesper has for the World Championships.
In the other half of the draw Joerg progressed to the quarters by beating compatriot Thorsten Lentfer 11-21, 21-8, 21-12, 10-3 and Bastian Böhm by winning 21-7, 21-14, 12-21, 21-12 over Brit Jonathan Ritter.
Their semi-final was also very high-quality. Bastian opened strongly with a TT win to 11, before Joerg turned things in his favour with wins to 17 and 8 – and then the fireworks began.
Despite the tight score going in, Joerg up seven, there was not even a trace of racketlon tennis. These two are allergic to it, far too good for that. Probably the best two at tennis on tour, playing the best tennis I have seen at racketlon, thumping groundstrokes, low over the net, hitting lines. Bastian especially has an incredible ability to hit with full power even at full stretch.
He led pretty much all the way and by the turn he had reduced arrears to four overall, leading to thoughts of a gummi, but Joerg found the extra bit of inspiration needed to take the victory – and even ended up in the positive, 15-14.
While Joerg ultimately could not take the title in the Men’s Elite he did win in the Seniors +40 title and indeed with relative ease, winning all sets he played in it and only needing to pick up his tennis racket for the final – a 21-18, 21-16, 21-18, 11-6 win over Emil Gunnarsson of Sweden.
