The Robert Abdesselam Trophy returns to France

The 10th edition of the Robert Abdesselam Trophy took place from 21-23 August and brought together four international teams — Spain, Belgium, Great Britain, and France — for a competition featuring one Women’s Doubles, one Men’s Doubles, and two Mixed Doubles per match.

The French team prepared with great professionalism, with some high-altitude training in the Vercors Mountains. There, the players enjoyed scenic hikes through historic forest trails, breathtaking views over Grenoble, and, most importantly, an intensive tennis camp led by their long-time coach, Bruno Delorme, at the Villard-de-Lans Tennis Club. Off the courts, the group took time to share meals and test their culinary skills, further strengthening team spirit and camaraderie.

On arrival in Avignon, the competitors faced stormy weather. The French delegation managed a short training session on the superb courts of TC Montolivet before heavy rain rendered the grounds unplayable. The club’s President, Jean-Pierre Azam, and his wife Gisèle extended a warm welcome to all participants, their passion and dedication keeping the Avignon club thriving.

Due to the weather, the opening matches were held indoors on a single court instead of the planned four outdoor ones. Consequently, the format was shortened to a single set of six games with a tie-break at 6-6. France started the tournament strongly, defeating Great Britain — a new permanent participant in this long-standing competition — by 4–0 in the morning session. Spain then overcame Belgium in the afternoon.

The following day saw the return of sunshine, allowing play to resume outdoors for the France–Belgium encounter. Despite gusty conditions, France prevailed 3–1. In the afternoon, players and guests enjoyed a guided cultural visit to the Chartreuse de Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, a monastic complex renowned for its austere order and beautiful architecture.

The evening’s social programme featured a warm reception hosted by Odile de Roubin in her elegant family residence, where players gathered for an aperitif before the official dinner — a highlight of the event’s convivial atmosphere.

The final day brought the much-anticipated showdown between France and Spain. The French team were eager to reclaim the Robert Abdesselam Trophy, which had been in Spanish hands since the 2023 edition in Madrid.

The opening women’s doubles match proved challenging: Spain’s pair, Pauline Rodriguez (a former French player ranked no. 15) and Noelia Perez Penate (former WTA no. 121), showed their experience, while France’s Isabelle Billard-Delage sustained an early injury. Fortunately, the French men responded with a narrow win, leaving the teams level at one match apiece.

It was therefore down to the two mixed doubles to decide the title (and avoid a super tie-break in the event of two tied teams after all the matches). The French pairs — Chantal Grimal & Alain Moracchini, and MarieDo Larras & Nicolas Fourcade — made an excellent start, taking their first sets 6–1 and 6–0 respectively. Grimal and Moracchini secured their victory swiftly, while Larras and Fourcade were pushed into a deciding tie-break after their Spanish opponents, Noelia Perez Penate and Fernando Gomes de Segura, fought back to win the second set 6–4. The final tie-break was a thrilling affair, keeping spectators — including loyal French supporters Pascale and Christine — on edge. In the end, the French pair held their nerve to win 11–9, sealing overall victory for France.

The Robert Abdesselam Trophy thus returned to France, to the delight of players, organisers, and supporters alike — a fitting conclusion to three days of high-level tennis, sportsmanship, and international friendship.

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IC of Germany wins the Wallenberg Trophy

Every two years the IC teams of Great Britain, France, Sweden and Germany meet for the Wallenberg Trophy. Four players play with the women's (35+ and 45+) and men's (45+ and 55+) singles and two final mixed. An extraordinary format!

The draw resulted in the matches of France against Sweden, while Germany met the strong team from the UK. The French beat Sweden 4-2, having already built up a strong lead of 3-1 after the singles, and the Germans triumphed over the British 4-2 – setting up a final between France and Germany on the Sunday.

Christian Schäffkes could not compete in the singles due to a private appointment, but was replaced by Christopher Rummel – who won against Thepsouvan in the 45+ category 4-6 3-6. Christian Greuter lost against the strong player Cayla 3-6 3-6, and Claudia Hoffmann also lost to Marie Larras 6-4 3-6 7-10. Svenja Hüttner finally secured a victory over Chantal Grimal 6-2 4-6 10-3.

With a score of 1-3 after the singles, France's victory seemed inevitable, but the German team then played two clean mixed matches. Hüttner/Schäffkes triumphed 6-3 6-3 over Grimal/Thepsouvan and Hoffmann/Rummel also won in two sets 6-4 6-3.

Now at 3-3, a super tie-break between the two number 1 mixed pairs was the decider. This proved an exciting conclusion for this trophy and with a 10-5 win, Svenja Hüttner and Christian Schäffkes secured victory for the German team.

The tournament was brilliantly organised by Alex Kurucz alongside the Düsseldorf Rochusclub, one of the "leading tennis clubs of Germany" and a fantastic host.

For dinner on Saturday, there were even two guests of honour who have shaped German tennis for many decades: Ex-Davis Cup captain Detlev Irmler and the director of the successful World Team Cup, Horst Klosterkemper! Together with the international guests, they provided an entertaining atmosphere on this evening.

Conclusion: The format with the four singles and the two final mixed games is an exciting competition that will next take place in Great Britain in 2026.