Finland’s Juhani Tonteri won the 2026 International Hammer Challenge on Sunday, becomming the fourth Finnish player to win this tournament.
In the final he defeated Jonne Kaisku 218-199 in the title match at Tali Bowl in Helsinki.
Tonteri advanced to the final with a 235-198 semifinal victory over Ben Robinson. Kaisku reached the title match by defeating Kristoffer Berg Nilsen 269-173 in the other semifinal.
The victory earned Tonteri €7,000. Kaisku collected €4,500 for second place, while Robinson and Berg Nilsen each received €3,000.
Tonteri Wins Six Matches on the Way to the Title
Tonteri completed qualification in 21st place with 1,365 pins over six games. His block included games of 222, 246, 241, 204, 220 and 232. Since only the top 14 received a bye, Tonteri had to begin his run in A-Final Step 1.
He opened with a 3-1 victory over Kaisa-Ly Lee and followed it with another 3-1 win against Kevin Melin. Tonteri then survived his first five-game match, defeating Estonia’s Kert Truus 3-2 to reach the last eight, where he defeated Swedens William Svensson 3-2.
A Dream Come True
After the victorious final, Tonteri said to BowlingLife that reaching the final four at one of Tali Bowl’s major international events had been a goal the was trying to achieve for very long.
“Today, I made it to the top four, and made it all the way. So it feels amazing. This is a dream come true for me."
He described the earlier match-play rounds as a mental grind. But once he reached the televised finals, that pressure began to lift.
“In the final, I kind of felt like I had already won, and I just enjoyed myself,” Tonteri said.
His victory also continued Finland’s complete control of the tournament at Tali Bowl. All four editions have now been won by Finnish bowlers: Jenni Heino in 2023, Rami Mukkula in 2024, Petteri Salonen in 2025 and now Tonteri.
According to Tonteri, Finnish players place extra importance on winning the major events held on home soil.
"These are the tournaments that we [Finns] want to win the most. It's a big thing for us to succeed here, and, of course, we also bowl a lot of tournaments in this bowling center, so we know the lanes pretty well."
Success Without Urethane
While racks filled with purple urethane balls were a common sight at the Hammer-sponsored event, Tonteri took a different approach. He tried it at the beggining of the tournament, but switched to reactive quick and found a good rythm.
"To be honest, I don't think it [urethanes] looked very good for any bowlers
here. I think that the reactive were a better choice this time. I stuck with
it, and good things happened."
Use of reactive bowling balls payed
off the most during the finals. All three other semifinalists used urethane,
but only Tonteri managed to make repetitive good shot and seal the
win.
"I think the last two Ballmasters have been won in the same way," Tonteri said. "Maybe it's because of the lights, they kind of dry the lanes more, and urethanes doesn't go that well anymore. Might be one reason, but anyways, I'm just glad I did it."
The fourth edition of the International Hammer Challenge attracted 291 players from 15 countries and featured a €52,380 prize fund.
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