Singles World Championships
11 Août 2024
15 Swiss Racketlon players traveled to Rotterdam for the 2nd edition of the Racketlon Singles and Team World Championships at the Victoria Squash & Tennis Center. Absent is Andreas Kotala, who had to stay at home due to appendicitis. This is particularly unfortunate as Andreas would have been the top favorite in the U16 category and was due to make his debut in the elite team.
Adeline Kilchenmann represented Switzerland in the women's elite. She won her opening match thanks to a clear 21:4 in badminton against Steph Chung (USA). In round 2, she then lost to last year’s world champion Nathalie Vogel (GER) and finished in 7th/8th place.
Nicole Eisler represented Switzerland in the senior women's +40 category for the first time and eliminated top seed Kirsten Kaptein (NED) from the tournament in the first round. In the semi-finals and final, the most successful Swiss racketlon player and new mother marched to the world championship title without any discussion or tennis. Bravo Nicole!
In the men's elite, Noah Mamié and Nicolas Lenggenhager won their opening matches convincingly before being stopped in the round of 16 by Kresten Hougaard (DEN) and Jürg Kanonenberg (GER). In the subsequent placement matches, they both lost by wafer-thin margins and finish in 13th to 16th place. Kanonenberg eliminated Léon Mamié in round 1, who later finished in 25th to 28th place.
Due to the absence of Andreas Kotala, only Flavio Wolf is competing for Switzerland in the men's B event. He loses his first two matches against Li and Fung from Hong Kong before just managing to fend off last place against Krog (DEN).
Riccardo Raimo, Giovanni Gentile and Patrick Bürgi all won their opening matches in the men's C category. Gentile only fails in round 3, Raimo and Bürgi in round 2, while Marc-André-Rauber loses in round 1.
In the men's D category, Andreas Stooss wins his first-round match after a huge comeback in rubber-arm tennis. He is then defeated by Motasha from India in round 2.
In the First Timers, Nicole Eisler’s husband and new dad Rafael Fritschi can celebrate his first Racketlon victory after losing his opening match in the placement matches. Is this the start of a great career?
Switzerland is represented four times in the senior +55 category. Manfred Grab and Gregor Meyer were narrowly defeated by Janzer (HUN) in rounds 2 & 3. Giovanni Gentile fights his way through to round 3 in the other half of the tableau before losing to Lau (GBR). Marc-André-Rauber loses in round 1.
Record player Graham King represents Switzerland for the first time in the +70 seniors. He wins his group of 3 convincingly and is then only defeated by Hesselbjerg (DEN) in the medal fight. Congratulations to Graham on his well-deserved Vice World Champion title!
FW
