By Stephen Higgins | Saturday 1st August
Saturday’s fine weather at Carrickmines CLTC must have rubbed off on the players as there was Irish delight in both the singles and doubles.
Fresh from upsetting the third seed Matt Ponchet in the quarter-finals, Conor Gannon repeated the trick in the last four as he put on a polished and diligent performance to defeat second seed Daniel De Jonge 6-4 7-6.
Doubles partners for the week, Gannon (above) and De Jonge each held serve through the first nine games of the opening set before the Dutchman faltered. Fluid movement and aggressive forehands from the Dubliner eventually told and he clinched the first set with a break.
“I was holding quite tough, and he was holding easy,’ Gannon said afterwards. “I decided to try make a few more returns and then once I’m in the rally, stay a bit more disciplined. And look what happens. I got the break at 6-4. A big momentum shift.’
The 24-year-old got off to a dream start in the second set as he broke once more to take a 2-0 lead. However, the Dutchman’s flat strokes are well suited to the astro turf and he showed resolve in breaking back immediately.
From there it was tight encounter as each man held serve under pressure. Unsurprisingly, the set went to a tie-break. De Jonge (below) took an early 3-1 lead but Gannon reeled him back in with his serve improving by the minute.
At 5-5, the Irishman pulled off a delicious half volley drop that died on the turf and earned a match point. A long forehand from De Jonge then sealed the victory for Gannon and an upset over a player ranked 400 places above him.
“It was pretty tough for the second set but I got a little bit lucky towards the end. I just played big tennis in big moments and that’s what happens…I’ve gotten better with each set. I could have been out in the first round but I saved a few match points. Look what happens when you keep going. I’m in the final now so absolutely delighted with the performance today and how I played. Couldn’t have asked for any more.”
In Sunday’s final, the Irishman will take on seventh seed Markus Molder, who impressively outlasted top seed Robin Catry 7-6 3-6 6-2. The 21-year-old Estonian (below) is a talented prospect with a particularly impressive forehand.
He knocked Irish no.1 Michael Agwi out in the last eight and is now into his second ITF final of 2026 after lifting the title at Hurghada in May.
In the women’s draw, the DLR Irish Open has been lucky to host another teenage prodigy this year after Ida Wobker’s superb outing 12 months ago. This time around, 18-year-old Vendula Valdmannova has lit up the courts of Carrickmines with fluid shotmaking, particularly off the backhand.
The Czechia (above) top seed took three sets to overcome fourth seed Valentina Ryser on Saturday before eventually seeing it out 6-2 6-7 6-1. Valdmannova is into her third ITF final of the season and is unbeaten in them so far.
In the championship match, Valdmannova will take on Great Britain’s Amelia Rajecki who upset the former top 40 talent Viktoria Hruncakova 6-4 7-5. Ranked just inside the world’s top 400, the 24-year-old has been a giant killer in South Dublin this week having taken out three seeds in successive rounds.
It will be a bumper week for Rajecki (above) whatever happens on Sunday as she and Ella McDonald captured the women’s doubles title on Saturday. The second seeds recorded a 6-2 6-1 scoreline over top seeds Alicia Dudeney and Zuzanna Pawlikowska (below).
Finally, as temperatures started to fall on Saturday evening, an enthusiastic crowd got to enjoy a men’s doubles final with an Irishman on either side. In the end, Michael Wright and his partner Pablo Perez Ramos had a little too much for the team of Michael Agwi and Felix Mischker and took it 6-1 7-5.
Order of Play | Sunday 2nd August 2026
Centre Court
From 10.30am
Women’s Final | Vendula Valdmannova (1) v Amelia Rajecki
Men’s Final | Markus Molder (7) v Conor Gannon
Remember that you can follow all the 2026 DLR Irish Open action and live streams at the ITF’s W50 and M15 sites
Photos by Sport Narrative, Amy French and Crosscourt View
