Two of last year’s Irish Junior Open champions will play at the 2025 tournament next weekend in Dublin.
Ireland’s Zoe Nyhan, who won the 2024 GU13 as the No.1 seed, will compete in the GU15 event while Spain’s Alberto Mateo, who came through as the 5/8 seed to win the BU17, is entered in the BU19.
Six of the eight events at the 2024 tournament were won by the No.1 seeds.
Aside from Nyhan living up to her ranking, Spain’s Rafael Rodriguez Segovia (BU13), Poland’s Mattea Saliba (GU15), Portugal’s Gustavo Cruz (BU15), Wales’ Nia Seren Thomas (GU17) and Zimbabwe’s Ryan Gwidzima (BU19) all won titles last year as the No.1.
The only exception to this top seed dominance, aside from Spain’s Mateo in the BU17, was the GU19 victory by Ireland’s Lydia McQuillan, who was seeded No.2.
The 2024 tournament catered for 132 players but the upcoming 2025 edition, which will again be sponsored by IACT and hosted once more by Sutton LTC from Friday to Sunday, has attracted a bumper 166-start list consisting of 80 Irish players and 86 from overseas.
That figure features 26 players from Switzerland, 17 from Scotland, 16 from Spain, eight from England and other players representing Australia, Japan, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Brazil, Poland and Macau.
The welcome increase in participants will see a second venue – ALSAA – used to stage matches, and a shuttle bus will run on an hourly basis between the two venues.
The draws for the eight events are in the pipeline and will be published soon.
