Sophie McKinlay & Brian Raman take titles at WDF Swedish Masters; Maendl-Lawrance & Steenbergen enjoy success at Swedish Open

Brian Raman continued his strong form on the WDF circuit with victory at the Swedish Masters in Malmö on Sunday evening — securing his second title of the season following his earlier triumph at the Romanian Open.

The Belgian ace produced a series of composed performances en route to the title, dispatching Thomas Skriver (4–1), Dave Ladley (4–0), Liam Maendl-Lawrance (4–1), and Petri Rasmus (5–3) to reach the final. There, he faced experienced Finnish international Marko Kantele, who had seen off Petur Thomsen (4–2), Sybren Gijbels (4–0), Andy Davidson (4–3), and Thobias Johnsson (5–3). Raman ultimately proved too strong, sealing a 6–3 win in the final.

In the women’s competition, Scotland’s Sophie McKinlay emerged as the standout performer, capturing the title with a confident display throughout the event. She booked her place in the final by defeating Merete Kjaer (4–1), Layla Brussel (4–0), and Kirsi Viinikainen (4–2).

Aileen de Graaf once again demonstrated her consistency by reaching yet another final, following wins over Yvonne Andersson (4–2), Jo Rolls (4–1), and Lerena Rietbergen (4–2). However, it was McKinlay who took command in the decider, running out a 5–2 winner to claim the title.

Just a day later at the WDF Swedish Open, De Graaf once again found herself in the final — only to fall narrowly short once more. The Dutch stalwart eased past Henriette Honore (4–0), Helene Sundelin (4–0), and Emine Dursun (4–2) on her way to the last two.

She was joined by compatriot Priscilla Steenbergen, who impressed with victories over Merete Kjaer (4–0), Swedish Masters champion Sophie McKinlay (4–1), and Engla Rehnlund (4–2). In a tightly contested final, Steenbergen edged out De Graaf 5–4 to take the title in dramatic fashion.

Germany’s Liam Maendl-Lawrance produced one of the standout performances of the weekend in the men’s Swedish Open. After overcoming Jozsef Szlanyina (4–0), Mateusz Sawczyn (4–2), and Swedish Masters champion Brian Raman (4–3), he swept aside Thomas Junghans (5–1) in the semi-finals.

In the final, Maendl-Lawrance held his nerve in a last-leg decider to defeat Alex Williams 6–5, clinching a well-earned title and capping off a breakthrough weekend for the young German.

Brian Raman 6-3 Marko Kantele

Sophie McKinlay 5-2 Aileen de Graaf

Liam Maendl-Lawrance 6-5 Alex Williams

Priscilla Steenbergen 5-4 Aileen de Graaf