Credit: FLT
For three days from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 October 2023, the first international pickleball competition took place in Luxembourg, hosting 135 players from ten different countries.
The competition, HEAD International Luxembourg Open, brought together 60 Belgians, 20 British, seventeen Luxembourgish, fifteen French players and more to compete in 23 different categories, whether in women's or men's singles or doubles, or in mixed doubles. The age categories were over nineteen and over 50.
At the end of three days and after 350 matches played on the ten courts specially designed for the occasion at the Centre National de Tennis in Esch-sur-Alzette, the first batch of medals was awarded to the best players from Luxembourg clubs. The eleven medal winners were:
Silver: Anne Schumacher (LU) and Nicole Sibenaler (LU), women’s doubles 19+ 3.0
Silver: Pascal Gilles (BE) and Sandra Aschcroft (GB), mixed doubles 19+ 3.5
Silver: Anne Schumacher (LU) and Jérôme Frei (CH), mixed doubles 19+ 3.0
Bronze: Nicole Sibenaler (LU) and Fatih Dervent (TUR), mixed doubles 19+ 3.0
Bronze: André Oosterman (NL) and Helen Hills (GB), mixed doubles 50+ 3.5
Bronze: Mona Welter (USA) and Steph Grace (GB), women’s doubles 50+ 3.5
Bronze: Kristine Barrett (USA) and Lian Oey (NL), women’s doubles 19+ 3.0
Bronze: Machiko Milroy (JP) and Yasuhiro Miyama (JP), mixed doubles 50+ 3.0
The event organisers expressed their delight at the results of this event which “excited the participants” and earned praise for its organisation.
Among these players were several of the best European players, who have already promised to return for the next edition, the date of which has not yet been determined.
In the wake of this success, a pickleball demonstration will take place at d’Coque in Luxembourg-Kirchberg on Saturday 21 October 2023 at 16:00, just before the semi-finals of the Luxembourg Ladies Tennis Master. Claudine Schaul, a Luxembourg tennis champion, will participate in this demonstration on the central court with other players from a Luxembourg club.
The winners were as follows:
Women’s Singles: 19+ Open:
1. Karen Crawford
2. Adeline Ade
3. Morgane Daloze
Men’s Singles: 19+ Open:
1. Richard Urbain
2. Tom Corfield
3. James Hall
Men’s Singles: 50+ Open:
1. Federico Pasquali
2. Robert Fiedler
3. Laurent Vandeloise
Women’s Doubles: 19+ Open:
1. Karen Crawford / Maisie Wise
2. Maria Munz / Kassandra Bourgeois
3. Aline Collard / Elodie Poncelet
Men's Doubles: 19+ Open:
1. Steffen Hallen / Brian Hürmann
2. James Hall / Tom Corfield
3. Geert Van Dijken / Giancarlo Balzarelli
Men's Doubles: 50+ Open:
1. Michael Munz / Matthias Tratz
2. Rudi Galdermans / Mark Epps
3. Alan Campbell / Frank Arico
Mixed Doubles: 19+ Open:
1. Kim Nossin / Eveline Van Bets
2. Federico Pasquali / Katherina Preis
3. Felix Montet / Adeline Ade
Mixed Doubles: 19+ Open:
1. Carolyn Wei / Basti Grau
2. Steffen Hallen / Karen Crawford
3. Kassandra Bourgeois / Mike Tonet
