Finale
[1] Greg Lobban (SCO) 3-0 Melvil Scianimanico 11-4, 11-9, 13-11 (50m)
Demie
Melvil Scianimanico 3-2 [3] George Parker (ENG) 9-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4 (66m)
Melvil Scianimanico continued his sensational week with another five-game, comeback win on semi-finals day, reaching the biggest final of his career in the process.
The 20-year-old Frenchman fought back from 2-0 down to upset defending champion Jonah Bryant in round two – saving a match ball along the way – before repeating the trick in the quarter-finals against Rui Soares.
That set him up for a semi-final showdown with No.3 seed George Parker, who was looking to go one better than in this tournament last year, when he was beaten in the final four by Mohamad Zakaria.
Parker had beaten compatriot Simon Herbert in the last eight this time around and he made the better start here 24 hours later, racing into a 6-1 lead in game one, before holding off his opponent’s charge to close it out 11-9 on a stroke decision.
Unlike his previous two encounters, Scianimanico did win the second game to avoid falling 2-0 behind, doing so in style by winning seven points on the bounce to start the game, never letting Parker back within touching distance.
The two players continued to trade blows across the next two games, with a near-capacity crowd engrossed by the spectacle in front of them, with the speed of Scianimanico and explosive moments of Parker making for a high-octane affair.
Melvil Scianimanico celebrates his third consecutive five-game, comeback win.
It was Parker who won the third, 11-7, but the scores were reversed in game four, sending the match to a decider, by which point Scianimanico had a spring in his step.
Still, there was nothing to split the players through the first eight points, but Scianimanico took control from there, keeping the pace of play high as he reeled of one point after another on his way to six match balls at 10-4.
He had been in a similar position against Bryant earlier in the week, sitting 10-5 up on that occasion before losing the next four points, but there would be no repeat this time around, as he slammed a backhand winner cross-court on his first match ball, prompting a huge, emotional roar towards the back of the court.
Standing between the unseeded Frenchman and a maiden World events title is top seed Greg Lobban, who came through a tough test with fellow Scot, Rory Stewart.
Quarts de finale
Melvil Scianimanico 3-2 [8] Rui Soares (POR) 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6 (56m)
Second Tour
Melvil Scianimanico 3-2 [2] Jonah Bryant (ENG) 3-2: 5-11, 9-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-9 (66m)
Scianimanico Fights Back to Beat Bryant in Epic on Day Two o
Melvil Scianimanico underlined his credentials as one of Europe’s most talented young players, staging a stunning fightback to beat No.2 seed and defending champion Jonah Bryant on day two of the Cannon Kirk GillenMarkets Irish Open 2025, a day which saw seven seeds go out in total.
Bryant, 19, and Scianimanco, 20, are two of the most exciting prospects in the men’s game, with Bryant having climbed inside the world’s top 30 this season and Scianimanico having come through qualifying to reach the recent PSA World Championships, where he upset Iker Pajares in round one.
They had never met before on the PSA Tour, but they did play out an epic five-game encounter in last year’s ESF European U19 Individual Championships final, with Bryant saving a match ball on his way to a thrilling comeback win.
This time, though, it was Scianimanco who saved a match ball on his way to a sensational victory, overturning a 2-0 deficit to force a decider by winning a fourth-game tiebreak 12-10, after being 10-9 down.
The pace of play remained extraordinarily high throughout game five, with both players showing remarkable athleticism and a hard-hitting style throughout, but it was the Frenchman who took control, bringing up five match balls at 10-5.
Bryant was never going to throw in the towel, though, and reeled off four points on the bounce to move back to 10-9 and set up a nerve-jangling finale, but saving a fifth would ultimately prove to be a step too far, as a backhand into the tin handed Scianimanico the win, prompting a huge celebration from the young Frenchman.
