All three women’s titles and one men’s title went to home players at last weekend’s German Masters at Sportwerk Hamburg.
Janina Jasper, from Neumünster, cruised through the group stage in the women’s 35+ category at the Super Series event, but found the going tougher against top-seeded Dutchwoman Brenda Sariowan in the final.
A see-saw match came down to a nervous fifth game in which Jasper faced several match points before closing it out 16-14. Heike Hohenadel from Frankfurt took the bronze medal against Ann-Christine Eweleit.
The women’s 50+ was an all-German lockout with top seed Melanie Kreisel from Karlsruhe battling out another five-game affair with Simone Korell 11-9, 7-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7. Melanie Lowe claimed third with victory over Dutchwoman Titia Posdijk.
There was more German domination in the women’s 60+ as legendary Störte Becker won all four matches in straight games against Imke Witt, Irene Gardette of France, Valerie Worrel from Barbados and Iris Höfling of SC Dreieich 77, who claimed second place.
A fourth home success came courtesy of Wolfgang Meinke in the men’s 75+. The SC Nottensdorf player had the only unbeaten record in the six-man group, with England’s Bryan Francis finishing second and Bernd Götsch third.
Elsewhere, the legendary Fredrik Johnson atoned for his surprise defeat in August’s European Masters Individual Championships in Wroclaw by claiming his fifth German Masters title, beating France’s Olivier Collignon 11-2, 11-9, 11-5.
Lithuania got their flag above the podium with a victory by Jonas Narbutas in the round-robin men’s 35+, dropping only one game in five matches. Fernando Llusia De Castro was runner-up.
Dutchman Bart Wijnhoven lost a marathon opening game 18-16 against Spaniard Luigi Laner in the men’s 40+ final but recovered to take the next three games 11-8, 11-9, 11-9.
“Congratulations to all the winners and runners-up!” Wijnhoven said afterwards. “We are already looking forward to the next German Masters tournament next year on the same weekend!”
Pakistan’s Muhammed Hussain justified his top seed billing with victory in the men’s 45+, 11-0, 11-2, 11-5 in the final against Germany’s Dan Zilic. There was another Pakistani in the men’s 50+ final but this time he finished runner-up, with France’s Bertrand Tissot winning a cracking match 11-9, 11-8, 11-13, 3-11, 11-7.
Paul Rengbo, the 3/4 seed, doubled the Swedish success in Hamburg with a 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 victory over Austria’s Marco Staller in the men’s 55+ final.
Men’s 65+ top seed Stephen Edmondson of England overcame Germany’s Werner Schmitz 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 in the final and Peter Stephens of Ireland claimed his third ESF Masters title of the year after opponent Alan Hathway retired in the third game of the final with the match poised at 1/1.
“We once again had a very nice German Masters tournament here at Sportwerk,” said DSQV Vice President Masters Störte Becker.
“It was three very pleasant days for all players and runners-up, our congratulations go to everyone! Our big thanks go to the organizing Center Sportwerk Hamburg as well as to tournament director Alan Hathway and tournament director Brigitte Leuschner, who all did a perfect job and ensured a very high feel-good atmosphere!”
