The first edition of  FIP Platinum Marseille  The tournament concluded with two very different finals, both in their storylines and equally memorable. Between a women's final abruptly halted and a hard-fought and spectacular men's final, Marseille experienced an intense finale to this inaugural event.

 Women's final: a cruel disappointment for Alonso / Salazar 

Unfortunately, the women's final did not deliver the expected sporting duel.
Opposed to  Lucía Sainz / Raquel Eugenio the top favorites  Alejandra Salazar / Alejandra Alonso  They had, however, made a perfect start to their match.

À  2/1, break in hand The number 1 seed seemed to have everything under control. But in a forward race,  Alejandra Alonso twists her ankle badly The scene chilled the Palais des Sports: cries of pain, tears, a long interruption, palpable concern in the stands.

After several minutes of treatment, the young Spanish woman bravely tries to resume. But very quickly, the diagnosis is undeniable: she is  completely diminished Unable to move normally. Two games later, giving up becomes inevitable.

A terrible scenario, reminiscent of the one experienced in Bordeaux a few months earlier, which brought a brutal halt to an association  Salazar / Alonso  hitherto irreproachable:

  •  no set conceded  about the tournament
  • a true mastery of the game
  • a connection already evident in their first tournament together

In these particular circumstances,  Lucia Sainz and Raquel Eugenio  are declared winners. A title at  inevitably a bitter taste , especially since they were trailing in the score at the time of the injury.
However, this is the  Raquel Eugenio's first career title , an important step, even if the victory was achieved far from ideal conditions.

 Men's Final: Leal vs. Guerrero after a real battle 

The men's final, however, offered  everything the public expected  : intensity, tactical adjustments and very high-level padel.
The seeded 1  Javi Leal / Fran Guerrero  imposed itself  3/6 6/3 6/4  facing the 2th seed  Javi Garrido / Lucas Bergamini .

 A first set dominated by Garrido / Bergamini 

The start of the match is clearly in favor of TS2.

  •  Javi Garrido  He is very impactful offensively, often finishing off points for Bergamini
  •  Lucas Bergamini  is a metronome, clean, precise, dominating his diagonal against Guerrero

Logically, Garrido/Bergamini take the first set  6/3 , with a real sense of control.

 Leal/Guerrero are gaining momentum 

But gradually, the dynamic reverses.
Leal and Guerrero  reduce unforced errors gain in precision and aggressiveness, while their opponents become less solid in key moments.

In  second and third sets TS1 breaks quickly and manages to maintain its lead. The turning point of the match comes at  5/4 in the third set , when Garrido / Bergamini get a break point… which is not converted.
Behind, Leal/Guerrero remain solid on serve and finish.

A victory built on the  management of key moments , mental strength and a gradual increase in power.

 A first edition that concluded with strong emotions 

These finals perfectly summarize this first Marseille edition:

  •  of emotion , sometimes painful
  •  a very high level of play 
  •  full and engaged stands , especially on weekends

With a well-organized tournament, playing conditions praised by the players, and a good turnout of spectators, the  FIP Platinum Marseille  immediately established itself as a major event on the calendar.

A successful inaugural edition, which we  should review next year .

Benjamin Dupouy

I discovered padel directly during a tournament, and frankly, I didn't really like it at first. But the second time, it was love at first sight, and since then, I haven't missed a single match. I'm even ready to stay up until 3am to watch a final of Premier Padel !

On the same subject

Tags