IWT German Open

19 Août 2022

A small Swiss delegation found its way to the highly decorated German Open located in Nussloch. Even before the start of the tournament some participants were already challenged by finding their way to the center, seeing that it is located in the middle of nowhere.

Despite the small number of Swiss representatives, several medals were achieved and many more higher seeded players were challenged, if not even defeated. A noteworthy performance was managed by Esther Dübendorfer, who managed to remain unbeaten the whole weekend, winning not one but three different categories. Another gold medal was achieved by Giovanni Gentile who fended off a challenge from Swiss compatriot and tour veteran Graham King. On the Junior's side, Andreas Kotala was awarded a bronze medal for a great tournament including a win over the second seeded player Leon Steiner.

Also worth mentioning are the performances of all other Swiss players that, despite the hot weather, fought until the end, even if it resulted in an ungrateful fourth place. Especially close to a maiden Elite Doubles medal came the Swiss - New Zealand pairing of Noah Mamié and Sion Wiggin. Going into Squash with an even score a great start secured them a 16:2 lead in a matter of minutes, with former PSA professional Sion seeing to secure the pair a certain win with only a few points of tennis. Then, from one moment to the other cramps started to kick in, forcing Sion to take riskier shots than usual. In the end, the match was lost by only five points. The opponent, Koen Haagerats, then went on to win the Men's Singles with an impressive performance. The Women's Singles was won by Natalie Vogel, defeating the current world champion Stine Jacobsen in the final, thereby beating her 21:0 in Squash to secure the win.

For those who are still reading, let it be said that not only did the tournament organization provide a very professional and competitive atmosphere, a handful of players, including world number 1 Morten Jaksland, found themselves enjoying a set of "Tischbadminton", guaranteeing lots of fun on a Saturday afternoon.

NM

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