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 Spain win Potter Cup and IC Italy win Two Presidents Cup

The IC Spain team led by Roberto Menéndez and captained by Santiago Tintore has reclaimed the Potter Cup title, defeating IC France in the final by a score of 4-1.

The key match saw Menéndez, current world champion in the 45+ category, beaten by Frenchman Arnaud Magnin, who has also held the title of world champion on several occasions, in three tight sets.

With this victory, the Spanish team regains the title they last won in 2013 in the prestigious competition held at the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona and bringing together some of the world’s best veteran players.

This forty-ninth edition of the Potter Cup was disputed by eight IC teams, some of them participating in the competition since its inception, such as the USA, Great Britain, France and Spain. They were joined in this edition by teams from Ireland, Belgium, Germany and Italy. IC Spain had to resort to the final doubles rubber to beat IC Ireland in the first round after a tight 3-2 in singles. In the semi-finals they were squeezed past IC Italia after a retirement by the Italian doubles players due to injury.

The Spanish team was comprised of Roberto Menéndez, Pepe Vicente, Albert Costa, Jordi Mas, Bruno Barrientos, Xaiver Llucià, Eduardo Sanz, Oriol Molina, Antonio Diaz de las Casas and Santiago Tintore as Captain.

In the women's event, IC Italy was the winner of the fifth edition of the Two Presidents Cup, beating the Spanish team in the decisive doubles, with the teams level after the singles matches. The players Rosa Andrés and Gisela Riera lost the third set by the tightest of margins: a 16-14 match tie break. They were accompanied in the team by Cristina Fontelles, Neus Avila and Eva Bes.

During the event, the participants once again were able to participate in a clinic with the group of players from the Acell Federation, which provides playing opportunities for players with learning difficulties.

All the participants have expressed their gratitude for the hospitality received from the Real Club de Polo and RCTB 1899, co-hosts of this competition. The tournament was supported by the Catalan Tennis Federation and the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation.

Video of the 2022 event