Tennis star Conor Gannon secured back-to-back titles at the Irish Close Championships, the premier domestic national tennis tournament, at Donnybrook last weekend.
Gannon, a product of the Monkstown LTC Junior Programme, justified his billing as the number one seed in the tournament overcoming Ammar Elamin, the number two seed, in a tense final that lasted more than two and half hours.
In windy conditions both players struggled to find an early rhythm but it was Gannon who held his nerve in the first set on a tie breaker.
Alamin hit back midway through the second set, breaking Gannon’s serve and held out to level things up, taking the second set 6-4. Gannon, cheered on by a sizable contingent of Monkstown LTC supporters, upped his game in the final set and played aggressive tennis to win the third set, and the match, on a scoreline of 7-6, 4-6, 6-3, thus successfully defending the Irish Close title after his maiden victory in the tournament last July.
Foxrock native Gannon, who turned 21 in June, travels to Tunisia later this month to compete in several international tournaments before returning to the USA, where he is on a tennis scholarship at the University of Memphis.
Conor Gannon celebrates with his fans – young Monkstown Lawn Tennis Club members
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