After a great start and a first set won 6/2,  Timeo Fonteny  et  Yoan Boronad  saw the match slip away from them in the quarter-finals of the  FIP Silver Côte du Midi , facing the Spanish pair  Ferran Insa Sotillo / Albert Roglan Pons A frustrating defeat in three sets (2/6 6/4 6/3), but one rich in lessons for the two young Frenchmen. Now in the heat of the moment, they look back on their performance and the areas for improvement.

A perfect first set... before the Spanish upset

Timéo Fonteny:
 “Strangely, we both came in very well, despite my being 10-15 minutes late at the start. They made a lot of mistakes; I think they were a bit tense because I arrived late and we didn't give them the game. We played very well at the start, they played very poorly. But as time went on, they improved their level. We started to lob less well, to be less consistent, and they pushed us back. We couldn't get out of the water.” 

An analysis shared by his teammate  Yoan Boronad , who had been named MVP of the first set.

Yoan Boronad:
 “For me, they're also improving because of us. We're really not playing as well, we're falling asleep a bit. We know that's Insa's style of play: putting guys to sleep. But this match really depends on us. That's the positive thing we can take away, because if we play our game to the fullest, with good lobs and good returns, we can win every game.” 

“We fall asleep and lose the thread.”

The regrets are strong on the side of the French pair, especially against a ranked opponent  120th in the world .

Yoan Boronad:
 “It's frustrating. I came out of the match feeling like we were stronger… and yet, we lost. It's a matter of experience. Insa hasn't only put us to sleep in his career, but that can be learned. We had the weapons, and yet it didn't work.” 

A first reference set… but difficult to maintain

The French duo had delivered a  first set of very high level , in particular by  intensity on the fly  and the  quality of lobs , as the match commentary pointed out.

Yoan Boronad:
 “Yes, that's for sure. We were aggressive, we trapped them in their diagonals, it was our best performance in a long time.” 

Timéo Fonteny:
 “I think that with time and training, we'll be able to maintain this level for longer. Personally, I surprised myself in the first set. I was behind, but I saw the crowd around the court, it fired me up. Johan (Yoan) was super motivated, me too... but it didn't last today.” 

A frustrating but educational defeat

Even if qualifying for the semi-finals would have been valuable  in terms of FIP points , both players prefer to remember the lessons.

 “They played very well, you have to give them credit for that. Even though we lost, they didn't really let us come back. We're learning.” 

A little friendly dig at the end of the interview to Timéo Fonteny, who arrived from Montpellier just before the match:

 “Maybe next time you’ll stay at the tournament venue…” 

Timéo smiles:
 “I was in Montpellier, it took me two and a half hours. I know, I was late too… but it wasn’t on purpose.” 

Heading for the French team training camp

Timéo Fonteny and Yoan Boronad will be present  in two weeks at the French team training camp , a new important meeting in their progress.

 "Thanks to Padel Magazine for the rebroadcast. And see you next year!”  they conclude, accomplices despite the disappointment.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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