Titles successfully defended in the London Open 2026

Alleyn’s School, Dulwich

Saturday/Sunday, 3-4 October 2026

STOP PRESS Ed Kay successfully defended his Singles title, three in a row and his 5th time of winning. His opponent in the final this year was Ben Beltrami. Giles Munn won his second Singles Plate of the season, beating Stuart Scott in their final. In the Doubles Charlie Brooks & Dan Tristao made it four in a row together, Charlie having also won once with Tom Dean in 2012, while for Dan it was his 10th, having won 6 times previously with Will Ellison. Jez Hughes & Cameron Low took the Doubles Plate, beating Julian & Peter Hanton.

Huge thanks to Penn Chai for organising and running two long days of fierce competition, filming play while commentating and communicating scores online.

Organiser Penn Chai reports: The London Open once again attracted one of the strongest fields seen outside the National Championships in recent years. With 14 of the country’s top 16 ranked players in attendance, the standard throughout the weekend was exceptionally high, ensuring that even early-round matches carried the quality and intensity normally associated with the latter stages of major events.

The biggest prize remained firmly in the hands of Ed Kay, who successfully defended his Singles title to make it three London Open crowns in succession and five overall. Remarkably, Kay did not drop a game all weekend, with Ben Beltrami’s five points in the second game of the final proving the closest anybody came to troubling him. By Ed’s own recollection, he remains unbeaten in matches to 11 since the South West Open of 2022, an astonishing run of dominance. After victories over Tom Watkinson, Penn Chai, Julian Aquilina and finally Beltrami, he once again looked a class apart from the field.

Beltrami’s run to the final was one of the stories of the tournament. After overcoming six-time National Champion James Toop, he defeated Charlie Brooks and Freddie Hammond Giles before eventually succumbing to Kay in the final. Few runners-up can have faced a tougher route through the draw.

Freddie Hammond Giles produced one of the standout performances of the weekend, defeating Cameron Low and third seed Dan Grant before reaching the semi-finals. Terence McElvaney also claimed a notable scalp by defeating fifth seed Lewis Keates on his way to the quarter-finals.

One of the memorable performances of the opening rounds came from Emrys Thursfield, who took a game from James Toop before eventually losing in three. Sadly, his tournament later came to an abrupt halt after rolling his ankle during the Plate competition.

It was also great to welcome Joey Hammond Giles to his first adult tournament. Partnering the left-handed Tom Outred in the Doubles, Joey gained valuable experience against strong opposition and became the latest Hammond Giles to enter the senior ranks. Older brother Freddie has already established himself among the country’s leading players, while Freddie and his own left-handed partner Josh enjoyed considerable success together, including three National U18 Doubles titles. Whether history repeats itself remains to be seen.

The Singles Plate was won by everyone’s favourite, Giles Munn, who claimed his second Plate title of the season. Munn topped his group before defeating Matthew Ord and Stuart Scott in the knockout stages. The Bowl final provided one of the more unusual contests of the weekend. Tom Watkinson recovered from losing the first game to beat Oliver Arnold 9-11, 11-4, 11-3, although the match was perhaps best remembered for requiring three separate ball changes due to waterlogged gloves. Whether the repeated interruptions played a part in unsettling Arnold’s rhythm remains open to debate.

In the Doubles event, top seeds Charlie Brooks & Dan Tristao continued their remarkable dominance by winning a fourth consecutive London Open title together. Brooks claimed a fifth London Open doubles title overall, having previously won with Tom Dean in 2012, while Tristao collected a tenth title, further strengthening one of the most impressive records in the competition’s history.

The tournament draw itself generated almost as much discussion as the matches. Dan Grant campaigned hard for the event not to be seeded strictly by rankings, preferring what he described as “discretion”. Others used rather stronger terms, including “corruption”, and suggested he may have missed his calling in football administration. Fortunately, Oliver Arnold had already taken it upon himself to conduct the draw and appeared unlikely to entertain such constitutional innovations.

Arnold & Beltrami nonetheless emerged as one of the partnerships of the weekend. Seeded third, they survived three separate three-game encounters and defeated second seeds Ed Kay & Theo Parker in the semi-finals before reaching the final. By the end of Sunday, Arnold reported feeling thoroughly broken, which perhaps reflected the physical state of much of the field. As the average age of the leading contenders continues its inexorable rise, Sunday saw truly heroic quantities of painkillers consumed as competitors attempted to persuade increasingly reluctant bodies through the closing stages of the tournament.

The Doubles Plate was won by Jeremy Hughes & Cameron Low, who defeated Peter & Julian Hanton in the final. Given Low’s recent South West Open title, his appearance in the Plate draw raised one or two eyebrows, but he and Hughes were ultimately too strong. It was also wonderful to see the Hantons enjoying a successful run together and reaching the final, managing to overcome their sibling bickering on court.

Thanks are due to Alleyn’s School for hosting the event, and in particular to Hamish Buchanan, whose guidance, advice and support throughout the weekend were greatly appreciated by players. Chris Blakeley, RFA General Secretary, was also on hand throughout and had his medical expertise called upon on more than one occasion.

The finals were additionally graced by the presence of Deputy President Rupert Mathieu, who attended on Sunday morning, delivered speeches and ensured nobody left without knowing exactly who he was. Given the considerable demands on his time, players were undoubtedly fortunate to enjoy such distinguished company.

Singles

1st round: T Watkinson bt S Scott 11-6, 11-2; T Parker bt A Hutchinson 11-1, 11-3; P Chai bt E Carr 11-5, 11-5; J Tilston bt M Ord 11-5, 11-4; T McElvaney bt J Milburn 11-6, 11-6; O Arnold bt S Roberts 11-0, 11-3; F Hammond Giles bt T Outred 11-1, 11-1; C Low bt G Munn 11-3, 11-9; C Brooks bt J Hammond Giles 11-1, 11-3; G Wiseman bt J Garratt 11-1, 11-0; J Toop bt E Thursfield 11-5, 11-12, 11-2

2nd round: E Kay bt Watkinson 11-1, 11-2; Chai bt Parker 11-6, 11-7; Aquilina bt Tilston 11-4, 11-8; McElvaney bt L Keates 11-6, 11-4; D Grant bt Arnold 11-3, 11-8; F Hammond Giles bt Low 11-5, 11-0; Brooks bt Wiseman 11-5, 1i-5; B Beltrami bt Toop 11-1, 11-3

Quarter-finals: Kay bt Chai 11-2, 11-0; Aquilina bt McElvaney 11-6, 11-8; F Hammond Giles bt Grant 11-8, 11-8; Beltrami bt Brooks 11-5, 11-0

Semi-finals: Kay bt Aquilina 11-1, 11-3; Beltrami bt F Hammond Giles 11-2, 11-7

Final: Kay bt Beltrami 11-3, 11-5

Plate

Group A: 1st E Carr W2; 2nd E Thursfield W2; 3rd Milburn W1; 4th J Hammond Giles W1

Group B: 1st G Munn W3; 2nd S Scott W2; 3rd A Hutchinson W1; 4th T Outred

Group C: 1st M Ord W2; 2nd S Roberts W1; 3rd J Garratt

Plate Semi-finals: Scott bt Carr 11-4; Munn bt Ord 11-0

Plate Final: Munn bt Scott 15-10

Bowl Final: Watkinson bt Arnold 9-11, 11-4, 11-3

Doubles

1st round: P Harrison & S Scott bt Je Hughes & C Low 11-4, 5-11, 11-8; J Aquilina & J Tilston bt J Garratt & M Nugent 11-4, 11-6; P Chai & T McElvaney bt J Hanton & P Hanton 11-5, 11-5; O Arnold & B Beltrami bt J Hammond Giles & T Outred 11-2, 11-0; D Grant & T Watkinson bt JP Cheng & A Hutchinson 11-5, 11-5; J Toop & G Wiseman bt E Carr & T Hebblethwaite 11-1, 8-11, 12-10

Quarter-finals: C Brooks & D Tristao bt Harrison & Scott 11-6, 11-7; Aquilina & Tilston bt Chai & McElvaney 11-5, 11-9; Arnold & Beltrami bt Grant & Watkinson 11-8, 10-12, 12-10; E Kay & T Parker bt Toop & Wiseman 11-2, 11-2

Semi-finals: Brooks & Tristao bt Aquilina & Tilston 11-7, 12-11; Arnold & Beltrami bt Kay & Parker 10-12, 11-5, 11-7

Final: Brooks & Tristao bt Arnold & Beltrami 3-11, 11-2, 11-4

Plate

Group A: 1st Je Hughes & C Low W2; 2nd JP Cheng & A Hutchinson W1; 3rd J Garratt & M Nugent

Group B: 1st J Hanton & P Hanton W2; 2nd E Carr & T Hebblethwaite W1; 3rd J Hammond Giles & T Outred

Plate Final: Hughes & Low bt Hanton & Hanton 12-10, 11-4