Two of our European rising stars, Nhat Nguyen and Alex Lanier, engaged in a fierce battle in the men’s singles final. The Irishman secured a triumphant victory, claiming a 21-13 21-19 win in front of his jubilant friends and family. This marked his seventh tournament on home soil, adding profound significance to the achievement.

Reflecting on his emotional on-court celebration after match point, Nguyen shared, “I think the celebration speaks for itself. I'm not usually that expressive, but the overwhelming emotion got the best of me. All credit to my opponent; it was a superb game.”

Expressing his joy at winning the title in the presence of his father, Nguyen added, “A lot of friends are here, and my dad is somewhere in the crowd, so I hope he's proud. I’m thrilled to deliver in this home tournament.”

For Lanier, the positive results continue to pour in following his comeback from a serious injury a few months ago. The young player remains optimistic about his future and the path to becoming a top player. “In general, I am being consistent. I still need to work on the things that I struggled with against Nhat, but overall, I manage well in all matches. I've regained the speed here in Ireland, and I’m back on this good level, so I’m happy about that.”

Lanier expressed gratitude for the touching support he received during the week, saying, “It's always really nice for me when they can be at a tournament with me. I can share some good moments with them, and I heard them on the court, which lifted my spirits. Knowing that they are supporting me, not just behind their laptop screens, but here in this hall, is really nice and gives me more energy.”

In other finals at the Irish Open, Gregory and Jenny Mairs came close to clinching the title but unfortunately fell short, losing 17-21 21-18 15-21 to Hee YKT/Tan WHJ from Singapore in the mixed doubles draw.

The women’s doubles game witnessed a thrilling contest between Maiken Fruergaard/Sara Thygesen and Gabriela Stoeva/Stefani Stoeva. After a remarkable comeback from 3-11 down in the third, and saving several match points, the Danish pair secured the win, 21-19 17-21 24-22.

For Scotland’s Christopher Grimley and Matthew Grimley, it was a delightful evening. The two brothers managed to overcome Denmark’s Andreas Søndergaard and Jesper Toft, winning 22-20 16-21 21-17.

Finally, in the women’s singles match, hailing from the qualifiers, Chinese Taipei’s Yang Yu-Chi clinched the title, securing a 21-13 16-21 21-15 victory over Japan’s Haruna Konishi.