
The 55th Brunswick Ballmaster Open ended with an electrifying finish as Finland’s Jarno Lahti etched his name into the prestigious list of champions. 25-year-old Finnish national team bowler defeated defending Ballmaster champion Jesse Kallio with a 237–190 victory in the final. Lahti’s win ensures the trophy remains in Finland, along with the €12,000 top prize.
In the semifinals, Lahti faced a stiff challenge from his compatriot Joonas Jehkinen. The demanding and never experienced TV conditions required Lahti to adjust quickly during the opening frames, but once he found his rhythm, his confidence grew. After an initial setback in the first frame, where Lahti missed the head pin and later did not pick up 1-2 pin spare, Lahti rallied with a string of strikes from the seventh frame onwards to secure a nail-biting 237–230 victory.
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The defending champion Jesse Kallio, on the other hand, claimed his spot in the final with a commanding 258–235 win over Italy’s Antonino Fiorentino.
The final’s turning point came in the ninth frame when Kallio left an open frame after 4-10 split, while Lahti sealed his victory with strikes in the eighth, ninth, and first roll of the tenth frame.
The story with Lahti's thoughts after the win will be updated shortly.
Total of 490 participants from 19 countries took part in the event this year.
All pictures of the event can be found here.
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