Michael Conlon fell short in his grand ambition to become the M70+ European Masters Championships champion, losing his final 0-3 to Kale Leskinen in Wroclaw.
Conlon came into Saturday’s decider buoyed by his excellent semi-final victory over fellow Irishman Kyran Hurley, but Leskinen, the tournament’s No.1 seed from Finland, needed just 16 minutes to secure the title with an 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 win.
Hurley, the European champion at Hamburg 2023, clinched third place in Poland with a 3-0 win over Peter Stephens, another Irish player. The highlight of their 26-minute match was the 34-point third game, which Hurley eventually clinched 18-16.
A total of 27 Irish players took to the courts across the four-day event at the Hasta La Vista club. Aside from the achievement of having three M70+ semi-finalists, several other performances caught the eye.
Neil Macarron, a champion from Hamburg two years ago, finished fourth in the M45+, while Rob Staunton, another 2023 title winner, came third in the M50+ with Nick Staunton in seventh. There were also two ninth-place finishers, John Dineen in the M65+ and Paddy Butler in the M75+.
In the women’s section, Maureen Duke was a 3/4 finisher in the W65+, Siobhan Parker came seventh in the W40+, with Rosie Barry eighth in the W60+.
