On finals day at the 2026 DLR Irish Open, Ireland's Davis Cup stalwart Conor Gannon won his first ITF singles title with an impressive 7-6 6-7 6-4 triumph over seventh seed Markus Molder.
While you can check out my full match report on Tennis Ireland's site below, I wanted to share the post-match interview I had with the 24-year-old after his fine performance.
Crosscourt View: Congratulations Conor, the first Irishman to win this title since Pete Bothwell in 2018. How does that feel?
Conor Gannon: Yes, it still hasn't really sunk in yet. It's been a long time since an Irish person won this and I'm just so happy and proud of myself that it's me that's able to do it. And I kept believing and kept pushing. So I'm just absolutely over the moon, to be honest.
What was the key to the match today?
Serving well. I had a chance in the second, didn't get it. It could have been really easy to come back out in the third set and be very flat and very deflated, but I tried my best to put my best foot forward and give myself the best chances of crossing the line. I think I did a tremendous job of keeping the energy and just keep believing myself and not getting so down and being my own best friend out there.
You must have been delighted with the first set particularly, you seemed to have the perfect balance of controlled aggression?
I think throughout the match, I think I played a pretty solid match. There wasn't too many games...maybe one game, I would say I would like to change, but I think throughout the whole match, I think I played very well, served very well, very focused. Maybe it was a little bit angry in parts, but that's what happens in finals, especially in your home country. I'm a pitching wedge away from the club so it's obviously one you really want to win. Obviously a lot of anxiety and stuff like that. But no, I'm just so happy to get over the line.
What were you focusing on going into the third set?
Just positive energy. I just said to myself "look around and really enjoy this moment". Not many get to have this opportunity and just really just give your all because tomorrow's a new week and a new tournament - off to London to play another one. So I just said to really enjoy the moment and have a blast out there. It's also all about having fun. I cracked a few jokes with my coach and started smiling with a few people down this end so I think that really loosened me up. I just enjoyed the present moment.
Be honest, how nervous were you on the match point?
Match point no, because I knew I had three chances and I was pretty confident on my serve. It was more of if I got the first point and the second, I felt pretty confident. But yeah, the first point of that game, I was a little bit nervous, but after that I was actually so focused that I wasn't that nervous.
You feel transformed since the Dublin Challenger, has that been a big confidence boost for you?
Yeah, I think it has. I thought it was a huge stepping stone in my career. It really validated that that I can go very far in this sport and that I can be a positive influence for younger generations [like] I had when I was growing up. So that's a huge motivation for me.
That's the thing. If we have more tournaments like that, there's going to be more Irish people coming through. Look at the amount of Irish people that were in the main draw this week. I think there was maybe 7 or 8. When we had the first one back here after Covid, I think there was only three people and they were all wild cards. So it's definitely going in the right direction and it's great to see. I'm absolutely delighted that an Irish person can win this week.
