Acuna and Rodriguez take home their 2nd Irish Open Title

The 42nd Irish and 39th Arklow Open took place over the May Bank Holiday weekend, from the 2nd to the 5th of May 2025. Matches were held across Coral Leisure Centre Arklow, St. Joseph’s in Wexford, and Coolgreaney, drawing top players from across Ireland and abroad for a packed four days of world-class racquetball.
Costa Rica’s Andres Acuna claimed the Men’s Pro/Open Singles title with a 3-1 win over Mexico’s Jaime Martell in a high-paced and tactical final. In the Women’s Pro/Open Singles, Maria Renee Rodriguez of Guatemala displayed her international pedigree with a dominant 3-0 victory against Aisling Hickey of Rossmore.
In Men’s Doubles, Andres teamed up with Sergio Acuna to secure the Pro/Open title by walkover against Irish duo Adam Neary (Arklow) and Mark Murphy (Kilkenny). On the women’s side, Antonia Neary (Arklow) and Aisling Hickey (Rossmore) earned a memorable 3-1 win against Rodriguez and Mexico’s Carolina Luque in a crowd-pleasing final.
In the Pro/Open A Plate, Joe Dillon (Kingscourt) defeated Keelan O’Gorman (Araglen) 3-0, while the B Plate saw Sean Lyng (Horeswood) take down Arklow’s Scott Young in four games. Katie Kenny (Castlebar) powered through the Women’s Pro/Open A Plate with a commanding 3-0 win over Cara Delaney (Galmoy).
Local players performed strongly across the divisions. Paddy Dodd (Arklow) took the Men’s C/D Singles title with a 3-0 win over James Bolger (Clogh). In the Women’s C/D final, Abbie O’Meara (Fermoy) showed strong form with a 3-0 victory over Niamh Murphy (Templeudigan). The Men’s Novice title went to Philly Molloy (St. James), who defeated Tyler Young (Clogh) 3-1, and in the Novice Plate, Ryan Lawlor (Clogh) outlasted Po Wickham (Davidstown) in another 3-1 match. Sophie O’Flynn (Fermoy) was awarded the Women’s Novice title by walkover against Mary Hogan (Mitchelstown).
Doubles action added excitement and close finishes. In Men’s C/D, Leigh O’Brien (Horeswood) and Ken Cottrell (Kilkenny) held their nerve to edge out Don Lawlor and Billy Walsh (Clogh/Kilkenny) 3-2. The Women’s C/D final went the full distance as well, with Ciara Noonan and Abbie O’Meara (Fermoy) winning 3-2 over Sophie O’Flynn and Hannah Noonan (Fermoy).
Ryan Lawlor (Clogh) added a second title to his weekend by winning the Boys’ 18 and Under Singles, defeating Josh Lawlor (Clogh) 3-1. In the age-grade men’s singles, Mick Cunningham (Araglen) beat Davin Roche (Arklow) 3-0 in the 40+ final, Noel O’Callaghan (Fermoy) bested Joe Farrell (Arklow) 3-0 in the 50+, and Jimmy Gannon (Arklow) secured a 3-1 win over Billy Walsh (O'Loughlins) in the 60+ final.
Reece Young was awarded Sports Person of the Tournament for his exemplary spirit, performance, and sportsmanship. The Racquetball Association of Ireland thanks all players, volunteers, clubs, referees, and supporters who made this celebration of Irish and international racquetball a resounding success.

Full Results Here