Nine players competed in the 2026 Malmo Para Open 6 – 8 February.
Accompanied by Para Head Coach, Sam Logue, assisted by Dave Cunningham and Eoin
Kelly, the players put in a strong performance over the weekend in both singles
and doubles categories.
The doubles, wheelchair and standing, were run on Friday 6th. Here
Jude Sheldon and Aaron Mellows won bronze in the Standing Doubles losing out to
the eventual runner- ups Dominic Kramburger/Nicklas Westerberg with Sean
Geoghegan and Sam Brennan finishing in the last 16 with defeat to Paralympic
bronze medallists Bly Twomey/ Fliss Pickard representing Brighton TTC. Aoife
Kelly and Patrick Sweeney were beaten quarter finalists in the Plate. In the
Wheelchair Doubles, Kevin O’Callaghan, playing with Henrik Andersson of Austria,
won silver losing to the Swedish National Team Pair of David Olsson/ Isak
Nyholm while Alicia Winter, playing with Isa Vriends, Netherlands, also won
silver in the Plate. So, a solid start for the Irish!
Saturday 7th included four
performance classes, Junior, and Youth categories up for decision. In the Elite
Performance Class Paddy Vaughan was unlucky in not qualifying out of his group
despite a five set victory against Paralympian Jack Hunter-Spivy. While in Performance Class 1, both Aaron
Mellows and Sean Geoghegan got to the last 16. After not progressing through his
first groups, Kevin O’Callaghan bagged a bronze in the plate with Sam Brennan
finishing up one round back in the quarter final. In Performance Class 2, Jude
Sheldon got to last 16, while in Performance Class 3, Aoife Kelly won bronze in
the Plate with Patrick Sweeney going out in the last 16.
We had three players
competing in the Junior and Youth categories, with Kevin O’Callaghan, winning
the Youth Wheelchair category, Sam Brennan finishing in the last 16 in the
Youth Standing with Jude Sheldon getting to the quarter finals in the Youth
Standing Plate. So. a further three medals for the Para Squad.
The third and final stage of the Malmo Open consisted of the
individual classes 1 – 11. Here, in the combined Classes 1 – 3, Alicia Winter
was a losing quarter finalist. In Classes 4-5, Kevin O’Callaghan lost out at
the quarter stage. In Class 7 Paddy Vaughan won bronze, losing out to the
eventual winner, the World Number One Will Bayley, 3-1 in their semi final. Both
Sean Geoghegan and Jude Sheldon reached the last 16 in Class 8. Sean losing to
Dutch player Paul Van Der Oord and Jude falling to the Norwegian Steffen Salomonsen.
In Classes 9 – 10, Sam Brennan finished
in the last 8. In Class 11, a brilliant
performance from Aaron Mellows brought him to a silver medal. Aaron lost out
3-1 to Sweden’s Tobias Hansson in the final. In the plate Aoife Kelly was
knocked out at the quarter final stage with Patrick Sweeney going out in the
previous round in also. 9 medals in all
for the Irish with Kevin O’Callaghan, our most successful player with three of
those nine medals. One each of Gold, Silver and Bronze
Thanks to coaches Sam Logue, Dave Cunningham, Eoin Kelly for their
work on and off the court over the weekend and to all the carers and family
members who travelled to support and cheer on our players. Roll on Malmo 2027!