2025 Irish Open | Gray edges Agwi after Wobker lights up Carrickmines

14-year-old Ida Wobker and Great Britain’s Alastair Gray take the 2025 Irish Open titles

By Stephen Higgins | 4 August 2025

2025 Irish Open champion Ida Wobker prepares for a backhand
With the victory, 14-year-old Ida Wobker became the youngest ITF women's champion since January 2024 | Crosscourt View

Carrickmines Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club did not see an Irish champion on finals day but it may have witnessed a WTA star of the future.

14-year-old Ida Wobker, who is the youngest player in the ITF's top 1000, claimed the Irish Open women’s title with a 6-2 6-7 6-1 victory over Great Britain’s Victoria Allen. It is the first ITF senior title for the German who already sits in the top 70 of the ITF juniors.

However, anyone who observed Wobker’s performances over the week will agree that this prodigy can climb far higher than her current placing. The girl from Glandorf knocked out the top seed (Astrid Cirotte) in the quarter-finals before a straight sets win over surprise semi-finalist Coco Bosman.

Meanwhile, Allen earned her place in the showpiece thanks to an upset over compatriot, and second seed, Esther Adeshina in the last four. The Florida State graduate hoped to add the singles crown to the Irish Open doubles title she claimed with Adeshina on Saturday.

Victoria Allen serving at the 2025 Irish Open
Victoria Allen's serve was a potent weapon when it fired 丨 Crosscourt View

From early on though, it was clear that the match would rest on the racquet of the German teenager.

With her extraordinary array of skills on show, Wobker broke Allen in the fourth game and then raced away with the first set. The Brit simply could not handle the clean hitting, accuracy, and smooth movement of her much younger opponent.

Wobker dazzled the Carrickmines crowd with her mighty two-handed backhand and productive forays to the net, but the German’s serve was less secure. In the second set, the 14-year-old could not consolidate her lead and was broken three times with 11 double faults a significant factor. Allen would take the second set via tie-break and push the contest into a decider.

That setback seemed to galvanise Wobker, and she reset her focus and reclaimed ownership of the match in the third set. The teenager once again overwhelmed Allen with her all-around game, broke three times, and sprinted to a 6-1 finish and a first ITF senior title.

Given her outrageous potential, allied with the backing of sponsors and guidance from former German Billie Jean King Cup captain Barbara Rittner, there’s a good chance that we will see Wobker compete a the top level in the coming years.

In the men’s final, top seed Alastair Gray met the Irish no.1 and fan favourite Michael Agwi.

Alastair Gray returns a serve at the 2025 Irish Open
Alastair Gray made the second round of Wimbledon in 2022 where he lost to Taylor Fritz 丨 Crosscourt View

With a career best ranking of 237, and a main draw appearance at Wimbledon back in 2022, Gray had the best pedigree amongst the men in the field. He also came to Dublin brimming with confidence after three ITF title wins in 2025.

As for Agwi, after a superb 2024 campaign where he electrified Limerick in Davis Cup and finished the season just outside the top 400, the Irishman has fallen back in the rankings this year due to illness. However, the 21-year-old enjoyed a fine run to the final here as he dispatched all opponents, including the second seed Hamish Stewart, in straights.

On paper, it looked set to be a close contest and it delivered on that promise over the course of two hours and nine minutes. 

Initially, the momentum swung for Agwi as he broke in the third game, and then again in the seventh, before closing out the set 6-2. The Irishman’s immense power off the ground rattled the Londoner, much to the delight of the sun-drenched spectators.

Michael Agwi strikes a forehand at the 2025 Irish Open
Michael Agwi's forehand was a fearsome weapon throughout the contest 丨 Crosscourt View

The second set went with serve as Gray settled into the contest and shifted tactics. Probably concerned with Agwi’s brutal power from the baseline, the Englishman utilised the backhand slice, chip-and-charge, and serve-and-volley more often. Once camped at the net, Gray made for an imposing presence and struck a number of fine volleys as Agwi struggled to find the right mix to pass.

Usually an imperious weapon, Agwi’s serve faltered at the climax of the second set and Gray pounced to level the match.

The third set featured excellent ball-striking and exciting exchanges, intermingled with concentration lapses and service breaks. When Agwi took a 4-2 lead, you thought he might just hang on for a fifth ITF title and first at home. But the experienced Gray kept himself in the conversation.

The 27-year-old broke in the eighth game to level matters at 4-4 and just as it looked like a tie-break was on the horizon, Gray broke again to snatch the contest at 6-5 with an unfortunate netcord deciding the championship point.

For home fans, it was a disappointing end to what was a great day’s entertainment in Carrickmines. However, with unusually fine weather, a fabulous performance from a teenage phenomenon, and a highly competitive men’s final, what more could you ask for on the last day of a tournament?