There will not be the surprise that the public was hoping for Gerland Sports Palace. Alix Collombon et Araceli Martinez bow 6 / 4 7 / 6 against the tournament's number 1 seed, Alejandra Alonso et Andrea Ustero.

In this first set, Alix Collombon et Araceli Martinez had their chance. Even if the Franco-Spanish pair started off with difficulty with a break conceded at the start, they reacted as often in this competition: in “fight” mode. It was sometimes laborious, but they managed to come back to 2 all. We observed a few length errors in Usterus, bad choices at Alonso, while Collombon and Martinez continue to fight fiercely. A diagonal is gradually being established between Martinez et Alonso.

The set ends with a score of 6/4 in favor of the Spanish, who signed a second break, synonymous with a set won.

In the second set, the Franco-Spanish pair maintained the same intentions. A big battle began from the start, with some very nice shots signed Alix Collombon, especially on her parallel against Alonso. It is clear that Alonso is the priority target of Collombon and Martinez. They win the first game in style, with the encouragement of the Lyon public, won over to Alix's cause. The outsiders put the pressure on and even managed a break right away! The crowd believed in it… But behind that, a general bout of fatigue and a false rhythm set in. The tournament's number 1 seed then played 4 consecutive games, bringing the score to 4/2 for the Spanish. However, the match is not over. The “fight”, Alix et Araceli love it. It has even become their trademark. They come back to 4 games everywhere.

In the tie-break, the 4 players are tense but they fight on each point. At the finish, Alonso / Ustero prevail 7 points to 5.

Final score for the Spanish: 6 / 4 7 / 6.

The Franco-Spanish pair had chances to get back to a set all, but they made big mistakes at key moments, which certainly cost them the match today. The strategy of playing mainly on Alonso, Alix Collombon's former teammate, was the right one.

We will regret the inconstancy of Araceli Martinez, who sometimes sinned in the finishing. The good news: despite these flaws, Collombon / Martinez was not far away.

There are no more French people FIP GOLD LYON, but the show goes on Gerland Sports Palace.

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.