Magees deliver majestic display to seal Irish Open Badminton mixed doubles crown

It also brought Chloe’s long-awaited search for a second Irish Open final victory to an end.

CHLOE AND SAM Magee delivered a majestic performance at the National Indoor Arena, Blanchardstown to secure the Irish Open Badminton mixed doubles crown.

Thanks to a straight games win (21-13, 21-12) over English duo Harley Towler and Emily Westwood, the Donegal siblings became the first Irish winners at the tournament since Scott Evans’ singles triumph in 2012.

It also brought Chloe’s long-awaited search for a second Irish Open final victory to an end, after she previously claimed the women’s doubles title (alongside Bing Huang) in 2007.

At the end of a week when their younger brother Joshua and niece Rachel Darragh were also in action, the Raphoe pair were determined to make amends for last year’s final reversal to Gregory Mairs and Jenny Moore (England).

Despite falling 4-1 behind early on to their latest cross-channel opponents, a vocal home ground eventually helped them to settle. They subsequently moved into a 19-11 advantage by accumulating six consecutive points and held off an attempted fightback from Towler and Westwood to secure the opening game.

Although they encountered initial resistance when the play resumed, the end result was never truly in doubt. With their cushion standing at 14-11 deep into the second game, five points in quick succession was the catalyst for their latest career achievement – adding to their impressive bronze medal finish at last year’s European Championships.

The day had begun with the men’s doubles decider – South Korea’s Choi Solgyu and Seo Seung Jae enjoyed a comprehensive two-game victory (21-17, 21-12) over Scottish duo Jack MacGregor and Ciar Pringle.

It proved to be a tighter affair in the women’s doubles showpiece, as the aforementioned Westwood (England) and Li Lian Yang (Malaysia) squared off against the all-English pair of Jessica Hopkin and Victoria Williams.

After they shared the opening two games, Westwood and Yang prevailed in a gripping encounter (21-15, 19-21, 21-19).

Meanwhile, France’s Leo Rossi defied his unseeded status to defeat Lars Schaenzler (21-17, 21-9) in the men’s singles final. The third ranked Schaenzler had eliminated the competition’s top seed – Raul Must of Estonia – in the last-four, but couldn’t rein in the relentless challenge of the French teenager.

It was an all-Korean affair in the women’s singles finale, where Se Young An recovered from a shaky start to record a hard-earned victory at the expense of compatriot Ga Eun Kim (26-24, 21-17).

Results

Men’s doubles final
Choi Solgyu (Korea)/Seo Seung Jae (Korea) beat Jack MacGregor (Scotland)/Ciar Pringle (Scotland) 2-0 (21-17, 21-12)

Women’s doubles final

Emily Westwood (England)/Li Lian Yang (Malaysia) beat Jessica Hopton (England)/Victoria Williams 2-1 (21-15, 19-21, 21-19)

Men’s singles final

Leo Rossi (France) beat Lars Schaenzler (Germany) 2-0 (21-17, 21-9)

Women’s singles final

Se Young An (Korea) beat Ga Eun Kim (Korea) 2-0 (26-24, 21-17)

Mixed doubles final

Chloe Magee (Ireland)/Sam Magee (Ireland) beat Harley Towler (England)/Emily Westwood (England) 2-0 (21-13, 21-12)

Daire Walsh