In the first final of the day Pietryja teamed up with now established mixed doubles partner Aneta Wojtkowska to take the mixed title in two games over Aarnio and Nystrom of Finland. The Poles had struggled against the Finns earlier in the year in Estonia coming through in three sets on that occasion but this time in Greece made no mistake winning in two 21-17 21-17.

Pietryja made it a golden day alongside men’s doubles partner Milosz Bochat. The Polish men’s doubles have only come back together after spending most of this past season playing alongside Moren & Szkudlarsczyk gleaning valuable experience individually from the vastly experienced Polish doubles pair. 

The season long tactic obviously working with Bochat & Pietryja (main picture) coming through in the final against the Swedish/Danish pair Myhren and Olesen. The Poles had not dropped a set up to the final and found themselves with an uphill task after losing the opening game 21-14. 

That proved to be as good as it got for Myhren and Olesen as the Poles came storming back to lift the title 21-16 in the deciding set. 

Finland’s Jenny Nystrom regrouped to lift the women’s doubles title after losing the mixed doubles earlier to the Poles. Nystrom partnered Sonja Pekkola to the title beating Germans Bellenberg and Janssens in two games.

Second title of 2016 for Bruun

Denmark’s Kim Bruun (pictured above) lifted his second circuit title of the year adding the Hellas Open to the Iceland Open he won back at the end of January. Bruun had a comfortably journey to the final not dropping a set but came up the very tricky Swede Gabriel Ulldahl in today’s final. 

The Swede took the first set easily 21-12 but Bruun came storming back to take the match to a deciding set winning the second 21-19. In a very close deciding set the Dane got over the line 22-20 in a tournament that has been kind to him in the past. Last year Bruun made the semi-final in Greece in what was the first tournament of the Olympic qualification campaign. 

Like Brunn, Germany’s Fabienne Deprez went better than her semi-final last year not only winning this weekend in Greece but doing it without dropping a set. In today’s all German Final Deprez had the easiest match of all as compatriot Luise Heim was forced to withdraw when trailing 16-4. Not the ideal way to win a tournament but Deprez won’t worry too much about that when the 2500 points for the international series win tallies to her world ranking next week. 

For all results from 2016 Hellas Open click HERE

Article an archive images by Mark Phelan for Badminton Europe