Alix Collombon: historic French victory in the WPT

Already first French woman to play a final on the professional WPT circuit (World Padel Tour), the Lyonnaise Alix Collombon became this Sunday at La Nucia, the first French representative, men and women alike, to win a tournament of padel .

An accomplished sportswoman

His sporting career started a long time ago. Coaching partner of Caroline Garcia and herself 457th in the WTA world, then football player in the second division, Alix Collombon (27) sets her sights on the padel in 2017. Since then, change of life, goodbye to football and tennis. Become a professional player of padel is his ambition.

She dreams of a fate similar to another player of padel with a noticeably similar course, the former quarter-finalist of Roland-Garros who became one of the very best players in padel in the world: Marta Marrero, a meteoric rise that took her to the highest peaks.

It is not yet known if Alix will one day be in a position to join the fight with the very best, but she is starting to make quite a reputation for herself on the circuit. Competition is fierce among the ladies, but Alix has a place to take among the greats. We will see what the rest of the season will give but it could be that this victory will allow her to take a step forward, she who is running after a first quarter-final in an Open or Master tournament with Jessica Castello.

In France, this year she will be associated with the French number 2 Léa Godallier, thus almost definitively killing the competition during the next French championships at the end of September.

Triple reigning French champion (with her lifelong partner Jessica Ginier who is taking a padel for a short year), number 1 in France for 4 years and 29th in the world in the World Padel Tour before this victory, the record of the player of Esprit Padel already in a short time.

A historic and deserved victory

The third Challenger tournament of 2021 took place in La Nucia, next to Alicante, this week. Who says Challenger says that the 12 top-ranked players could not participate. In the middle of August and just before Holy Week in Spain, several Top 25 girls had chosen to skip the line.

Alix Collombon and his Spanish partner Jessica Castello (23) were therefore seeded 4 and started directly in the round of 3. During their first two matches they had to fight (victories in 1 sets in 8 / 17th and quarterfinals) to obtain the right to face in the semi-finals two legends of this sport, the Spanish world champions and multi-titled Elisabet Amatrian ( N ° 18) and Carolina Navarro (N ° 6). No more impressed than that, they offered themselves a 4-6 3-XNUMX victory that allowed them to play a new final !

Faced with the pair Aranza Osoro (N ° 14) and Barbara Las Heras (N ° 23) yet seeded number 1 and favorites of this final, Alix and Jessica, strong in a superior tactical mastery, won without discussion in two sets: 6-1 6-3

For the first time in the young history of our sport, a French representative wins in the final of a professional tournament!

Published by
Jerome Becasset