Martin Mulkerrins claimed his second USHA national title after victory over Ray Ure in Springfield Missouri over Memorial Day weekend.
After four rounds of keenly contested matches, the Maigh Cuilinn man came out on top. In the final, Mulkerrins continued his mastery over his opponents, never letting Ure settle in the first game of the final. He mixed up his serves and shot selection to stand one game from his second National title.
Mulkerrins built a 4-0 lead to start the second when Ure caught fire, scoring seven consecutive points. Mulkerrins cooled off Ure with a slow two-wall serve, working his way into rallies and eliminating Ure’s lead.
"Martin was trying to slow the game down and I was just trying to play my game," Ure said post-match.
Mulkerrins would eventually lead 18-12 but he also knew that no lead was safe against Ure. He said after his victory that "it felt like Ray could always reel off some crack serves, there are not many in recent times who have won the Collegiate Nationals and made two pro stop finals at 23 years of age".
"It’s hard to put into words, it means everything," an emotional Mulkerrins told USHA side-line reporter Jennifer Burnett.
"I only won the one in 2023 and it’s tough to put so much into it after being in six of the last seven finals. It’s harder when you get to the number one ranking. I played in eight Race 48 events and made the finals of all of them and won five of them. I knew I was there or thereabouts."
The competition was a statement from Mulkerrins who won his second USHA Singles title in straight sets not dropping a game in the entire tournament.
