Meldrum falls just short of the main draw in Łódź

Angus Meldrum’s encouraging return from injury continued at the Polish Open in Łódź, where the Scotsman came agonisingly close to securing a place in the main draw of the International Challenge event.

Entering through qualifying, Meldrum’s campaign began in unusual fashion as he advanced from the round of 64 with a walkover against Portugal International Championships winner, Jeppe Bruun. While not the start he might have expected, it provided a useful platform as he built momentum heading into the later rounds.

The round of 32 presented a much sterner test. Drawn against experienced Polish veteran Maciej Ociepa, Meldrum was pushed to the limit in a fiercely contested encounter. Both games went down to the wire, but the young Scot showed impressive composure under pressure, edging each set 23–21 to seal a hard-fought straight-games victory.

That win set up a decisive qualifying clash against another home favourite, rising talent Maksymilian Danielak. Buoyed by strong local support, Danielak proved difficult to contain, taking control early and maintaining his dominance throughout. Meldrum was unable to find an answer on this occasion, with the Pole progressing in straight games, 21–14, 21–8.

Despite falling just short of the main draw, the week represents another positive step forward for Meldrum as he continues his comeback. Reaching the final round of qualifying in a competitive field highlights both his resilience and growing sharpness on court.

Meldrum will now look to build on this progress when he returns to action next month at the Yonex Luxembourg Open, where he will aim to convert promising performances into a deep run.