There were painful defeats for the Blues in these World Championships, but there were also great joys, such as the victory against Chile. Not far from finishing in 8th place in the competition, the players of Pablo Ayma went for the last point with great courage and determination, to prevail at the end of the suspense.

Complicated start and immediate response

The first defeat of the Blues in this classification match was a headache. Indeed, Maxime Joris et Thomas Vanbauce let the first point slip away against Ignacio Lehyt and Sebastian Muñoz. In a very balanced match, every detail counted and unfortunately, the balance ended up tipping in favor of the Chileans. A deserved victory that already put the Blues in a right mess. Final score: 6/4 5/7 7/5.

Fortunately, Bastien Blanqué et Thomas Leygue were there to straighten the ship and maintain hope in the French clan. Faced with Javier valdes et Carlos zarhi, the reigning French champions quickly put the church back in the middle of the village with a 6 / 3 6 / 3 in 59 minutes of play.

Thomas Leygue Bastien Blanqué 2024 World Cup

One last match to set in stone

All eyes were on Johan Bergeron et Timeo Fonteny, on a mission to bring back the last point to France. A significant pressure, especially for a young player like Timéo who was experiencing his first selection with the Blues. Moreover, the Bergeron / Fonteny pair played the entire match with their backs to the wall. First the First round expeditious, with a 6/2 inflicted by Cristobal Martinez and Cristobal Molina, then a break from the Chilean pair in the second set. The carrots seemed to be well cooked already.

However, the two Frenchmen were able to pull themselves together, coming back point by point, sometimes even allowing themselves the luxury of a few flashes of brilliance. The second set was won by the French pair in a tie-break… and the decisive set got off to a bad start for the French team, who were already broken. Once again, they had to count on the courage and determination of Johan Bergeron and Timéo Fonteny, who went looking for the break.

It took a few match points for the French pair to conclude. But the liberation came after 2 hours and 18 minutes of the match: 2/6 7/6(3) 7/5.

Like the French, Pablo Ayma's men finished these World Championships in 7th place in the competition...

2024 World Championships – Les Bleues finish on a high note against Brazil
Gwenaelle Souyri

It was her brother who one day told her to accompany him to a padel court, since then, Gwenaëlle has never left the court. Except when it comes to going to watch the retransmission of Padel Magazine, World Padel Tour… or Premier Padel…or the French Championships. In short, she is a fan of this sport.

On the same subject

Tags