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Month: March 2018
Massachusetts Racket Masters 2018
FIR sanctioned racketlon returns to the USA in April with the second annual Massachusetts Racket Masters. Once again, the tournament will be housed at the excellent facilities provided by Smith College in Northampton, MA. WIth 5 squash courts, 3 badminton courts and 3 indoor tennis courts reserved, there will be no need for any waiting around! Both the mens and womens elite brackets have attracted some strong entries including the top two Canadian Men, Jeremy Easterbrook and Patrick Laplante (credit:AS), as well as British number 2 Dan Busby. On the women’s side, we have two world top ten ranked seniors, Katrin Maldre and Carola Von Heimburg, as well as local squash specialist, and former national collegiate champion, Mary Hulbert. There’s still plenty of space in all draws and just 6 weeks left to enter. Prize money of between $300 and $500 will be awarded to the finalists of the elite draws. Enter now on fir.tournamentsoftware.com
Northampton is a vibrant college town with a rich array of independent stores, restaurants and a thriving music scene. A players dinner is planned for the Saturday evening in a downtown Northampton restaurant. Northampton is only 2 hours west of Boston, with easy access from both Bradley International (Just 30 minutes south of Northampton) and Logan International airports. Northampton has a number of hotels as well as an excellent selection of airbnb offerings.
Sponsorship is being provided by Oliver USA and Ping Pong Depot.
Any questions can be sent to tournament director, Andy Stenson: astenson@frcps.org
Andy Stenson
Tournament Director
Great weather and Racketlon at Club La Santa
Saturday to Monday the success of the 2017 Club La Santa Open on the canary island of Lanzarote, was followed up by the second edition of the tournament. The amazing facilities, not only in the racketlon sports, but for all other sports, meant lots of entertainment, especially for the players staying for a week plus. With temperatures above 20 degrees and a strong equator sun, lots of players had the luxury problem of dealing with sunburns, while the players dinner and party Monday evening saw others struggle with hangovers Tuesday morning. All results online on fir.tournamentsoftware.com
The Tournament Director nicked his own tournament
In the Men Elite 8-draw the two top-seeded players made it to the final as defending champion Morten Jaksland got beat Luke Barnes in the semi-final and the Tournament Director, Kresten Hougaard made it by beating Christian Schaefer from Switzerland. Schaefer had the surprise win of the tournament taking out Jesper Hougaard in the ¼-final.
The final between the two Danes was a full 2-hour marathon going back and forth. Kresten (credit: Inge Omey) expectedly took the table tennis to 13, but Morten looked in control of the badminton with an 11-6 lead at the interval. Hougaard clawed his way back into the match with a good second half and stole the badminton to 16 meaning he had a lead of 13 points going into squash. The squash was a brutal battle with neither player wanting to give in, but after a 45 minutes set Morten took it to 15 closing the gap to 7 points. Given Mortens strength in tennis he was now the favourite for the title, but Kresten raced to a 9-4 lead. Morten wasn’t done yet and fought his way back into it with 7 points straight and an 11-9 at the interval. Again, Kresten started well after the break and could close the match out at 15-15.
Bruzgina takes her first World Tour title
Monday afternoon we could put a new nationality to the title list of racketlon winners as Ana Bruzgina of Belarus won the Women Elite. Ana have previously won Antwerp Open in Belgium, but at that time the tournament was a Challenger.
Ana’s win came through a round robin group of 4 players, where she beat top seeded, Kirsten Kaptein, by 11 points, Laura Smits of Netherlands by 17 and Switzerland’s Tanja Omlin by 22. There was a huge drama for second place as the Dutch girls, Kirsten and Laura fought it out. Kirsten needed 4 points to win the match, however in Laura’s best sport. The tennis ended 21-3 and the girls were heading into a deciding gummiarm-point. Laura of course had the advantage by playing the gummiarm at the tennis court and she did not let herself down and won second place.
The favourites wins the doubles classes
The finalists of the Men Elite, Jaksland and Hougaard expectedly won the Men Elite Double, but it wasn’t without a fight as Jesper Hougaard and Malte Thyregod put in a good performance. Hougaard/Jaksland needed 19 in tennis but were behind 14-9 before finally taking control of the match winning it at 19-18.
The Dutch constellation Kirsten Kaptein and Laura Smits won the Women Elite Double, again after big drama and in need of a gummiarm. Laura made it 2 out of 2 in gummiarms in the tournament and took the trophy away from Omlin/Dübendorfer from Switzerland.
Kirsten also won the Mixed Elite, where she was first seed with her partner, Luke Barnes. Only in need of playing 2 points in tennis the entire tournament, the expected win came easier than expected.
Other results
Both the Men B and Men C was won by Germans as Markus Klement won the B and Uli Schlepphorst the Men C for the second straight year. One could argue that experienced Uli should play Men B next year.
Uli also participated in the Seniors +40, however here he had to settle for a 3rd place after a 3-point loss to the tournament’s only Swede, Magnus Åberg. Magnus took the title after also beating Manfred Grab in the final. Manfred got his title instead in the +50 where he beat Graham King in the final. Grab and Schlepphorst had teamed up the +45 doubles and took another title here. Esther Dübendorfer got revanche from losing the gummiarm in the Women Elite Double and took both the title in Women Seniors +40 and Women B while Michael and Michael, Skytte Pedersen and Holm Kristensen won the Men B Double.
Back for a third edition?
Again this year, the tournament had attracted the Green Teamers (the instructors at Club La Santa) to test themselves amongst the racketlon players. 5 of them, 3 women and 2 men took up the challenge, and especially in the Women B they did well by finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
Tournament Director, Kresten Hougaard, promises to try and get Lanzarote back on the 2019 World Tour, but it equally depends on Club La Santa. Meanwhile racketlon players longing for sun and racketlon can look for the Malta Open, which again will take place in October.
Kresten Hougaard
Tournament Director
iPro London & Berlin Berghain Boasters Dominate 1st Round of Champions League
The Champions League returned this year with 64 players across 12 teams and two divisions. In January the 8 Team Captains in Division 1 and 4 Team Captains in Division 2 took part in a Live Draft on the FIR Facebook Page in order to pick their squads for the 2018 Champions League season.
Once again, this created a lot of interest amongst the Racketlon community as players from all countries, all ages and all abilities watched themselves get picked to play for one of the 12 international Racketlon Team Franchises. All results online on fir.tournamentsoftware.com
Division 1
In Division 1, all the teams would play 3 matches in Malmo but then play 4 matches in Nussloch, which meant that most of the Team Captains made sure in the Draft that they had their strongest squads in place for the 2nd leg in Nussloch.
Bonus Point Wins Put iPro On Top
With iPro London (credit:DS) picking last in the Draft this meant the strongest players in Germany had already been picked by other teams, meaning iPro instead had to pick their strongest squad for Malmo. This soon showed as iPro London dominated their matches against Malta, Racketlonshop Austria and KOR Oudenaarde, with captain Duncan Stahl and new team mate Rene Lindberg winning all 3 of their singles and all 3 of their doubles matches together. Combined with last year’s MVP Natalie Paul and the very strong Christian Wiessner, iPro won their matches by large margins ensuring they gained bonus points (winning by more than +40) in all 3 matches meaning they sit clear at the top of the table on 9 points.
Berlin Berghain Boasters, captained by Amke Fischer who along with Cornelius Rademacher (who both won 5 out of their 6 singles/doubles) were the only other team to win all 3 of their matches (against Copenhagen, Swiss Army Knives and the Swedish Vikings) but without any bonus points gained, they finished 3 points behind iPro. However, with the addition of the dangerous Elmar Shaub to their squad in Germany, Berlin will feel they could be close enough to catch iPro to win the title. The Berlin vs iPro London match in Nussloch could be the BIG match of Champions League 2018!!
“Are You Leicester City in Disguise?”
Without any doubt, the big surprise team in Malmo who took great pleasure in proving the “experts” completely wrong was the Swiss Army Knives, led by the smiling assassin Beni Hampl. With 2 wins out of 3 and 1 losing bonus point (losing by 20 pts or less), Beni and his team of Alex Du Noyer, Ed Harvey and Stine Jacobsen, sit 3rd in the table. With the mighty Silke Altman joining their squad for Germany can the “Leicester City” of the Racketlon CL hang on for a podium finish?
Malta Magic Stay in Touch (just)
The other teams all tried desperately to scrape together enough points to keep them in touch in the table and one team who will quietly think that they still have a good chance is Malta Magic. Adding Jorn Sultrup and Hannah Boden alongside Kresten Hougaard and Christian Wall for Germany means they will be tough to beat and with 4 matches still to play, they could be in striking distance of the title!
Copenhagen, Austria and the Swedish Vikings will all also strengthen their teams considerably and won’t be ruling out a late run in Germany to try and grab a podium finish.
| Position | Team | Matches Played | Points Difference | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1. | iPro London | 3 | +170 | 9 |
| 2. | Berlin Berghain Boasters | 3 | +77 | 6 |
| 3. | Swiss Army Knives | 3 | +10 | 5 |
| 4. | Three Percent Malta Magic | 3 | -2 | 4 |
| 5. | Swedish Vikings | 3 | -47 | 3 |
| 6. | Sportyfriends Copenhagen | 3 | -40 | 2 |
| 7. | C&C Racketlonshop Union Austria | 3 | -56 | 2 |
| 8. | King of Rackets Oudenaarde | 3 | -112 | 1 |
Division 2
In Division 2, similar to Division 1, all teams would play 3 matches in Malmo against the other 3 sides and then in Nussloch the teams will play a “2nd leg” against each other in a “home and away” type format.
iPro 2 Victorious in Key Match vs Berlin 2
iPro London 2, touted as early joint favourites with Berlin Berghain Boasters 2, got an immediate chance to back up the words of their captain as they played their pre-tournament rivals. With both teams perhaps a touch stronger in Malmo than they will be in Nussloch later in the year, this match was huge for both sides. It was a tight match throughout but with Berlin leading by 1 point going into the tennis they would’ve been overwhelming favourites to strike the first blow. But after a pair of very gutsy doubles and a big women’s singles win, London pulled through to take the match +7. The British trio of captain Johnny Bispham, Jordan Dainty and Lindsay Johnson-Farge took this momentum into their final two matches, first beating Malta Magic 2 by +17 and then claiming a first bonus point by defeating Swiss Army Knives 2 +48. The 3 wins and 7 points see them emulate their Division 1 counterparts and hold the top spot in the table at the half way point of the competition.
Berlin 2 Still in the Hunt for Division 2 Title
Following the early disappointment of a defeat to iPro London 2, Berlin Berghain Boasters 2 looked to get their campaign back on track. They did this, recording a pair of solid wins (+25 vs Swiss Army Knives 2 and +27 vs Malta Magic 2) while also stopping their opponents recording losing bonus points. Therefore, along with the losing bonus point they recorded against iPro London 2, they leave themselves on 5 points within striking distance of the leaders. On an individual front, Christopher Hellberg led the team ably, with help from the enigmatic Jean Michot and the returning Anneli Anbelin coming in as an injury replacement for captain Jenny Schmitz. This team will certainly fancy their chances heading to Nussloch with Jenny to come back into the side.
Pedersen Magic Keeps Malta Hopes Alive
Malta Magic 2 meanwhile got their campaign off to the best possible start, defeating Swiss Army Knives 2 +64 for the biggest Division 2 win of the day, and locking in 3 points. Unfortunately as mentioned above, that was the only win they could record on the day, although they did manage to pick up a losing bonus point against iPro London 2, so they leave themselves on 4 points, just a bonus point win away from top spot. Michael Skytte Pedersen led his team very well, with some excellent tactical moves in his line-ups which kept the other teams guessing. And again he was supported exceptionally by his number 1 draft pick, Thomas Olsson, as well as Heli Makela. Malta 2 will have all 4 players in Nussloch, making them a team to watch out for as freshness and points wise they’re in great shape to bridge the gap.
Tough Day for the Swiss
Finally come Swiss Army Knives 2, who had a tough day despite playing well throughout. Captain Dara Ladner played brilliantly all day and along with stalwart Graham King and their Swedish table tennis specialist Frederik Tor Groth they battled hard and managed to stop Berlin Berghain Boasters 2 getting a winning bonus point which could prove crucial after Nussloch. With 0 points, they may be out of the running for the title, but with the 2nd round to come, they may still have a big say of who walks away with the crown!
| Position | Team | Matches Played | Points Difference | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1. | iPro London 2 | 3 | +72 | 7 |
| 2. | Berlin Berghain Boasters 2 | 3 | +45 | 5 |
| 3. | Three Percent Malta Magic 2 | 3 | +20 | 4 |
| 4. | Swiss Army Knives 2 | 3 | -137 | 0 |
Champions League Gets Bigger and Better
Once again the new Champions League format proved very popular with all the players who enjoyed playing and fighting hard for their different team mates from all over the world. Many thanks to the 12 CL captains for all their hard work taking part in the Live Draft, forming great team spirits, finding sponsors, creating amazing team shirts and all in all making the Champions League the most exciting team event in Racketlon!
Duncan Stahl
Club La Santa Open back for a second edition
With a warm climate, all sports included and a friendly atmosphere for both adults and children, Club La Santa has been a popular destination for especially Danes since the 1980s. The resort is perfect for racketlon with fantastic facilities in all four sports and the success of 2017 is followed up this weekend, as 54 players will be part of the second edition. All matches can be followed on fir.tournamentsoftware.com
Jaksland favorite to defend his title
Morten Jaksland is one of the many players coming back for a second year. No wonder as the Dane had a pretty good time last year, winning his first ever World Tour tournament. Like last year, the world number 2, is seeded first and should see his biggest threads being world number 4 and tournament director, Kresten Hougaard along with his brother Jesper Hougaard and the dangerous, but swingy Luke Barnes of Great Britain.
The women’s event will find a new winner as the former World Champion, Nathalie Vogel, is not back to defend her title after having just given birth to a baby boy. Favourite for the title will be Kirsten Kaptein seeded 1, but should see the Belarusian former Antwerp Open winner, Ana Bruzgina, give her a hard time.
The doubles classes see Jaksland/K. Hougaard as massive favourites for the title in Men Elite while the Women Elite could be a very close call. The Mixed Elite see Kaptein/Barnes as favorites with Bruzgina along with the Club La Santa legend, Uli Schlepphorst, being second seeds.
Players dinner and party
When not playing racketlon, there is plenty of activities to do. Whether the players want to go windsurfing, lay by the pool, play beach volley, go cycling round the island or play more racket sports (including the popular padel), everything is free for the participants staying at the on-site hotel.
The epic players dinner and party of 2017 will also return this year. Monday when the tournament finishes, everyone can go to the 3-course dinner and to the on-site disco without having to worry about playing again next day.
From a sunny Lanzarote
Tournament Director
Kresten Hougaard