26 September 2006
Portuguese Open 2006: Final Report
The Portuguese Open 2006 in Estoril came to an end in the rain on its last day. According to the organisers' report, the tournament left the players happy, and a 2007 edition was announced.
Doubles and side event
On the evening before the finals, the German team Haase & Reinhardt won the Doubles without much resistance, beating the Portuguese finalists Matos & Costa Lima. The final of the main side event brought together two friends and regular doubles partners, Tardieu and Babillon; Tardieu took the title on Sunday.
The Open final
Sunday was finals day. The Open final, a match to 17 points, was played between Jean-Philippe Rohr (France) and Carsten Byrn (Denmark). It was a one-sided affair: the French player led throughout and won 17-5.
In the Consolation final, Kazuhiro Shino from Japan beat Ronald Reinhardt. In another final, German Andreas Humke defeated Portuguese player Sobral-Cid in a tense game at double match point.
Other divisions
- Intermediate: the final was played between two members of the same family, Diogo Matos and Euardo Mendia jr.
- Intermediate Consolation: Mrs. Kazuko, who had travelled from Japan, beat Marc Steyvers (Belgium).
- Last Chance: Dobromir Kyurkchiev (Bulgaria) won at his first tournament.
- Ladies' Tournament: Dorothy Lee (Great Britain).
- 1-point event: Mr. Mercier was the overall winner.
Some 30 players attended the awards ceremony and the closing cocktail. The organisers saw the event as having the potential to become one of the best tournaments in Europe.