French padel holds its first medal at the Mediterranean Games After seeing their hopes of reaching the final dashed against Italy, Louise Bahurel and Dylan Guichard were able to bounce back perfectly during the third place match against the Greek pair Balafas / Ntanou.
A victory synonymous with bronze medal for the two French players, but also a historic first award for the France in this new discipline on the Games program. A great way to end their adventure in Taranto with a smile and to have their names etched in history. first Mediterranean podium in padel history .
A tie-break before things get going
It took a battle for a whole round before we saw Louise Bahurel and Dylan Guichard to definitively take control of this third-place match. Held to a draw by Balafas / Ntanou In a particularly hard-fought first set, the French even won fewer points than their opponents in the round: 30 against 36 But when every point counted double, the number 3 seed stepped up.
In the tie-break, the balance of power completely reversed. Bahurel / Guichard cruised past him 7 points to 2 , to clinch a first set in which they had nevertheless been slightly dominated in terms of points.
The rest was much more expeditious. The French have broken in the very first game of the second set and gave their opponents no further opportunities. The statistics perfectly illustrate this change in dynamics: Bahurel/Guichard won 24 points against only 7 in this second set, while converting 3 of their 5 break points and a 6/0 to conclude and secure the bronze medal with a score of 7/6(2) 6/0 .
Two different paths to bronze
Top seed in the mixed draw, Louise Bahurel / Dylan Guichard had received a bye in the first round before making a perfect start to their tournament in the quarter-finals. They faced the Slovenians Simon Javoršek / Tina Lah The French had prevailed. 6 / 1 6 / 4 with a one-sided first set before having to fight harder in the second set.
The final four then presented them with a completely different challenge against Marco Cassetta / Giulia Dal Pozzo (TS2) After a close first set, which they lost 6-4, the French gradually succumbed to Italian dominance and ultimately succumbed. 6 / 4 6 / 1 , letting their title hopes slip away.
Opposite, Pavlos-Louis Balafas / Christina-Styliani Ntanou were one of the surprises of this mixed draw. The Greeks first eliminated the Egyptians Moura Hakim / Youssef Hossam in the round of 16, before creating a small upset in the quarterfinals against the Tunisian number 4 seed Dora Chamli / Mehdi Elloumi Their journey ultimately ended with a clash against the tournament favorites. Sofia / Pedro Araújo (TS1) , imperious in the semi-final with a victory 6 / 3 6 / 0 .
A mixed bag for the French national team.
This bronze medal brings a welcome bright spot to a week that will nevertheless leave... some regrets in the French camp In the mixed table, Louise Bahurel / Dylan Guichard The third-seeded team ultimately lived up to expectations by securing third place. An important medal, but not enough to completely mask the difficulties encountered in the other two events.
In both the men's and women's competitions, the French pairs generally held their own, without managing to to thwart the hierarchy when they found themselves facing nations that were better equipped on paper. Blanqué / Guichard (TS5) et Boronad / Fonteny (TS8) were stopped in the quarterfinals in the men's competition, while Bahurel / Pothier (TS6) et Merah / Soubrié (TS8) failed to get involved in the fight for medals in the women's event.
France therefore leaves Taranto with a medal in all three events contested and a mixed feeling. The French team didn't suffer a truly poor performance, but they also failed to create the upset that would have improved their overall tally. The bronze medal of Bahurel / Guichard This allows French padel to leave these Mediterranean Games with a first award around its neck.
Three titles to be distributed to conclude "Super Friday"
Once the three bronze medals were awarded, it was time for the grand finals of this first appearance of padel at the Mediterranean games . Of the 16 hrs The mixed doubles title will be contested between the Italians. Marco Cassetta / Giulia Dal Pozzo and the Portuguese Pedro / Sofia Araújo .
À 18 hrs Now, a 100% Spanish final is set for the women's competition: Lucia Sainz / Patty Llaguno will face Jimena Velasco / Nuria Rodriguez , already securing the top two spots on the podium for Spain.
Finally, the tournament will end at 20 hrs with the men's final. David Gala / José Antonio Diestro will try to bring another title to Spain against the Italians Flavio Abbate / Alvaro Montiel Three matches to conclude this "Super Friday" and to award the first titles in the history of padel to the Mediterranean Games.
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