Léa Godallier  and his Spanish partner  Esther Carnicero Martín  join the  Madrid P1 main draw , after a close victory in the qualifying final against  Sofia Saiz Vallejo / Marina Lobo  (76/7/6), seeded number 1 in previousA performance that allows the Frenchwoman to find her friend again.  Alix Collombon  among the elite, and to approach without pressure a first round against the pair  Alejandra Salazar / Martina Calvo  (TS8).

A first symbolic victory

“Honestly, for our first tournament together with Esther, we played really well and above all we had so much fun,” confided a beaming Léa after this 7/6 – 7/6 victory. “I had never beaten them, so I’m very happy to join Alix in the main draw.”

Godallier fulfilled his role as  right side metronome , building the game and giving Carnicero the freedom to express his power. "Our tactic was to work more on my diagonal. My goal was to build, to create an imbalance so that Esther could get into the point. She scored big points, especially on smashes, even with winning exits in key moments."

Solidity and millimeter-perfect lobs

In a match where every detail counted, the Franco-Spanish duo managed to tighten up their game in the decisive moments, winning the second tiebreak with a resounding 7-1 score. "The key was not to give away any easy points. In the first set, we led 4-0 without making a mistake. As soon as we relaxed, they took advantage of our mistakes. So we remobilized: priority was to be solid, then create play when possible," analyzes Léa.

In the particular conditions of the Madrid club – with a ceiling height reduced compared to the standards – the  quick lobs  played a decisive role. "Here, there are about 8 meters, compared to 10 or more at the Madrid Arena. We feel oppressed, but it served us well: we had to hit quick lobs to prevent our opponents from getting into position."

A return to the big picture

Godallier is enjoying this qualification all the more because the season hasn't been so successful in this regard yet. "It feels so good to requalify, because this year I hadn't qualified once. And now, beating the number one seed in the qualifiers is huge. I don't think they've ever lost in qualifying!"

With this ticket to the  Madrid Arena , Léa Godallier will be defending some big points: "Last year, I finished eighth, beating Victoria Iglesias and Marina Guinart. So I'll have to play well, because I have a lot of points to defend."

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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