Many French people will have high hopes for the  FIP Bronze Marnes II , but a foreign pair intends to come and spoil the party.  Julian Prins / Youp De Kroon both of them  124th in the world will arrive in the Paris region with the status of  seeded 1 .

Although still relatively unknown to the French public, the two Dutchmen have a CV that speaks for itself:  two-time Dutch champions, multiple FIP circuit title winners and already Silver winners together A clear threat to the many French pairs vying for the title.

A pair built to last

At first glance,  Julian Prins and Youp De Kroon  have many things in common. Both are originally from  Breda The Dutch each measure  1m88  and even achieved the same career-best ranking: the  116th place in the world Today, they are also tied in the FIP rankings, at  124th rank , with  469 points each .

On the track, however, the roles are clearly defined.  Julian Prins, 26, plays on the left , While  Youp De Kroon, 21, occupies the right side Two complementary profiles who know each other perfectly and also share the same coaching staff, since they are both trained by  Pablo Moreno and Alfonso Cristobal .

The two players regularly compete together on the international circuit and also represent the  Netherlands in the national team . A continuity, both on and off the track, which allows them to arrive in Marnes with well-established routines, a significant advantage over several more recent associations.

A meteoric rise on the FIP circuit

The pair's story on the international circuit truly takes on a new dimension in  September 2024 . To  FIP Promotion of Ajman , Prins / De Kroon, then respectively  264th and 242th in the world , secure their  first international title together .

Since then, the two Dutchmen have clearly changed their level.  2025 They even take it a step further by winning their  first FIP ​​Silver set in the Dominican Republic They then turned around a final that had started poorly: beaten 6-0 in the first set by the Argentinians.  Alvarez / Graupera They finally prevail  0/6 7/5 6/1 A victory that proves above all their ability to go for titles above the Bronze category.

This progression is inevitably reflected in the rankings: starting from beyond the  240th place in the world  During their first joint triumph, Prins and De Kroon are now both ranked in the top 10.  124th FIP ranking .

Rotterdam P1: One set is enough for Prins & De Kroon to make Dutch history

A 2026 season that confirms their change of scale

And their momentum hasn't slowed down in  2026 Quite the contrary. Prins/De Kroon notably achieved a fine double in May by winning back-to-back  FIP Bronze Pristina , Then the  FIP Bronze Bydgoszcz .

The Dutch also showed they could compete in the higher category, notably with a  final at the FIP Silver Pingyuan  and total  FIP Silver Jersey semi-final In addition to this, there are several other solid results, including semi-final appearances at the  FIP Bronze Lelystad and Banten , as well as a quarter-final at  FIP Gold of Abidjan .

This consistency is reflected in the figures: both men display  38 wins and 15 losses in 2026 , or more than  70% of matches won This should allow them to arrive in Marnes with confidence and, above all, with the experience of going far in FIP tournaments.

In addition to their results on the international circuit, they have a real dominance on the national scene.  Prins and De Kroon are the two-time reigning Dutch champions. , after winning the editions  2025 and 2026  of the national championship.

Is it really a threat?

With such a CV, their status of  seeded 1  The FIP Bronze Marnes II is therefore no small feat. But the Dutch will have to contend with a draw where the French will be particularly numerous and capable of aiming for the title. Behind them,  Timeo Fonteny , associated with Spanish  Nacho Moragues will form the second seed, while  Thomas Leygue / Jesús Moya  et  Johan Bergeron / Julien Seurin  complete the top four on the list of entrants.

And the French threat doesn't stop there.  Yoan Boronad / Jérémy Robert , recent authors of a semi-final together at the FIP Bronze in Mol, as well as  Maxime Joris / Bastien Blanqué  or,  Manuel Vives / Olivier Guy de Chamisso  will also have serious arguments to make.

 Prins / De Kroon will therefore arrive with a target on their backs.  However, when analyzing the tournaments in which they achieved their best results, a trend emerges: the duo performed particularly well  outside Europe This choice can be explained quite simply: the best European players, particularly Spanish and Italian players, as well as a large part of the Argentinians playing on the FIP Tour in Europe, tend to favour events held on the Old Continent.

 Conclusion: their results are certainly solid, but they do not necessarily reflect performances far superior to what their ranking suggests.  One element to keep in mind when assessing their status as favorites.  To meditate. 

Raphael Degironde

As a padel fan and player, I scan the padel scene: Beware, you are being watched!

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