IC Council News

November 2024
IC of Germany wins the Wallenberg Trophy

IC of Germany wins the Wallenberg Trophy

Every two years the IC teams of Great Britain, France, Sweden and Germany meet for the Wallenberg Trophy. Four players play with the women's (35+ and 45+) and men's (45+ and 55+) singles and two final mixed. An extraordinary format!

The draw resulted in the matches of France against Sweden, while Germany met the strong team from the UK. The French beat Sweden 4-2, having already built up a strong lead of 3-1 after the singles, and the Germans triumphed over the British 4-2 – setting up a final between France and Germany on the Sunday.

Christian Schäffkes could not compete in the singles due to a private appointment, but was replaced by Christopher Rummel – who won against Thepsouvan in the 45+ category 4-6 3-6. Christian Greuter lost against the strong player Cayla 3-6 3-6, and Claudia Hoffmann also lost to Marie Larras 6-4 3-6 7-10. Svenja Hüttner finally secured a victory over Chantal Grimal 6-2 4-6 10-3.

With a score of 1-3 after the singles, France's victory seemed inevitable, but the German team then played two clean mixed matches. Hüttner/Schäffkes triumphed 6-3 6-3 over Grimal/Thepsouvan and Hoffmann/Rummel also won in two sets 6-4 6-3.

Now at 3-3, a super tie-break between the two number 1 mixed pairs was the decider. This proved an exciting conclusion for this trophy and with a 10-5 win, Svenja Hüttner and Christian Schäffkes secured victory for the German team.

The tournament was brilliantly organised by Alex Kurucz alongside the Düsseldorf Rochusclub, one of the "leading tennis clubs of Germany" and a fantastic host.

For dinner on Saturday, there were even two guests of honour who have shaped German tennis for many decades: Ex-Davis Cup captain Detlev Irmler and the director of the successful World Team Cup, Horst Klosterkemper! Together with the international guests, they provided an entertaining atmosphere on this evening.

Conclusion: The format with the four singles and the two final mixed games is an exciting competition that will next take place in Great Britain in 2026.

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