Fahey take Moore Family Office Spring Challenge title
Secures victory in three tight sets over Merola
Robert Fahey has won the Moore Family Office Spring Challenge on his home court of the Oratory, defeating Nino Merola in three tight sets in the best-of-5 final on Friday evening.
Robert Fahey stepped onto court having not won a handicap title for 22 years, with his last victory coming at the 2004 Roo Trophy against Julian Snow. His opponent, Nino Merola, was after his first piece of silverware since the 2024 Category A Open. Merola received a handicap of Rec 1/2 15, Owe 1/2 15, which while beneficial was still going to be an uphill task against a player of Fahey’s calibre. Nevertheless, Merola started well, finding difficult angles and jamming Fahey up against the wall multiple times. But anything loose and Fahey was able to seize the advantage immediately, putting Merola back under pressure again. Merola held a narrow 3/1 lead early in the first set, but Fahey quickly cut out the errors he was making to start a solid four-game run. Fahey’s giraffe serves were particularly potent, forcing Merola to boast his way out of trouble in a way that easily set Fahey up for the next ball. Merola found a spell of good railroads to bring back the score to 4/5 and threaten setting up a deciding game, but once Fahey recovered the serve he shut down any notion of a Merola comeback, sealing the set.
Being a set down, Merola kept experimenting with his serving to try and find a chink in Fahey’s gilded armour. Fahey was aware of the challenge, and saw his assignment as doing everything in his power to throw Merola off his length for every one of his serving varieties. Fahey mixed it up unpredictably, sometimes charging forward to take a short serve on the volley or holding back to carve a long serve into the corner rather than forcing. Merola’s return of serve was hot and cold; lacking the variety of Fahey, Merola leant into his best option — the cut-volley. Fahey stormed through the set, reaching set point at 5/1 which Merola defended with a sizzling cut shot into the backhand. Merola battled hard, working side-to-side as Fahey tried to work him over but Merola’s defence held. Merola gradually started pulling back the set reste by reste, defending another set point with a sweet backhand winning gallery. He eventually fell one game short of a deciding game again, with Fahey beating a 1 and 2 chase to take a two set lead.
Merola kept fighting into the third set of the best-of-5. He carried his run from the second set into a 2/1 lead. At game point in the fourth game, playing second gallery, Merola launched a main wall force that struck the bandeau, seemingly assured of beating the chase. But Fahey dropped his racket head at the last moment to delicately maneouvre the ball off his ankles and under the grille on the second bounce. Fahey took the lead again but as the end approached, so did the errors — each time, Fahey would take a swipe at the air with his racket. Even so, Fahey’s forcing was strong enough to make it up, as they exchanged games throughout the set. Merola saved a championship in the 5/4 game — albeit off a short chase — to send the set into deciding game instead. Fahey lost the first point after putting the ball into the hazard galleries, dropping to his knees in frustration. Shortly after, Merola was 30-0 up after beating a chase 2, and almost had a set point had the net not interjected in Fahey’s favour. Fahey’s play at the grille corner gave him the advantage, winning the match with a tight but fair not-up call on Merola.
Fahey will next be in action at the US Pro Singles in Newport, while Merola’s season draws to a close having established himself in the top strata of UK-based professionals across the course of the season.
Match results:
6:00 PM: Robert Fahey (Owe 1/2 15) def Nino Merola (Rec 1/2 15) 6/4 6/4 6/5