VICTOR U19 Irish Open – A Weekend to Remember in Dublin
10th August 2026 by Robert McLean
It was a weekend to remember for Alfie Martin and Lewis Smith, as the Scottish duo claimed Boys’ Doubles gold at the VICTOR U19 Irish Open in Dublin.
The pair began their campaign on Saturday with a confident straight-games victory over England’s Phil Daniel and Nikhil Pulikkottil. Martin and Smith produced a strong performance to take the match 21-13, 21-10 and book their place in the quarter-finals.
Another English pairing awaited them in the last eight, with Zach Tang and Samuel Pulikkottil providing a tougher test. The Scots remained composed, however, securing another straight-games victory 21-15, 21-17 to progress to the semi-finals.
Sunday brought a meeting with Netherlands’ Martin Pho and Pim van Veghel. Once again, Martin and Smith delivered an impressive performance, winning 21-16, 21-16 to earn their place in the gold medal match.
The final proved to be an instant classic. Facing English number one seeds Luke Parkinson and Rhys Williams, the Scots found themselves 16-13 down in the deciding game. Showing tremendous character and composure under pressure, Alfie and Lewis fought their way back to complete an incredible comeback and secure the gold medal.
Their success was the highlight of an excellent weekend for the Scottish junior players, with several other strong performances throughout the tournament.
Arnav Saraswat enjoyed an impressive run in the Boys’ Singles, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to Romanian eighth seed Maxim Iacob in straight games. Arnav also partnered Spain’s Diego Arenas in the Boys’ Doubles, where they reached the round of 16 before being beaten by Irish pair Neh and Winston in two competitive games.
In the Girls’ Doubles, Deepti Vijayakumar, alongside her English partner Rajvi Parab, produced a strong run to the quarter-finals. The pair eventually lost to Irish duo Joy and Antony.
Deepti also enjoyed a successful run in the Mixed Doubles, partnering Lewis Smith. The pair reached the quarter-finals before being involved in an epic three-game battle against England’s Daniel and Variangattil, narrowly missing out on a place in the semi-finals.
Alfie Martin also impressed in the Mixed Doubles, partnering England’s Lilly Wood. The pair reached the quarter-finals before losing to Ireland’s Chambers and Pender, who would go on to reach the final.
Overall, it was a brilliant weekend for the young Scottish players, with strong performances across multiple events and plenty of valuable experience gained against some of the best junior players from across Europe.
The weekend ultimately culminated in the perfect reward for Alfie Martin and Lewis Smith, whose resilience, consistency and determination saw them crowned VICTOR U19 Irish Open Boys’ Doubles champions.
A fantastic achievement and a weekend to be proud of for Scottish badminton.