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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Team USA triumphs at the IC of Canada’s 60th anniversary event

The IC of Canada celebrated its 60th anniversary in Toronto, Canada from 1-5 September 2025.

Six countries joined the Canadian team, as follows:

• Argentina
• Barbados
• Bermuda
• Great Britain
• Mexico
• USA

In total, more than 90 people participated in the event, with the USA taking home the winner’s prize.  Great Britain came in second place, with Mexico very close behind in third.

Because the IC of Canada wanted the event to be as inclusive as possible, and because there was a wide range of ages, team numbers, and player abilities, they used a modified round robin format, mixing and matching players to create matches that were as competitive as possible.

The week started off with some fun and informal padel games at a pop-up padel site near the Distillery District in Toronto on 31 August.  Practice day followed on 1 September, when most participants arrived at the host club, the historic Toronto Lawn Tennis Club (circa 1876).

Day 1 of match play began on the club’s Har-Tru courts under glorious late-summer sunshine, and they continued all day with a break for a sumptuous buffet lunch on the upper balcony.  Very quickly the team from Barbados set up “camp” at one end of the viewing deck, where all week long the sounds of laughter and the telling of tall tales could be heard.

The second day of the event saw the most matches, and by the end of the day there were many sore shoulders, knees, and hips, but smiles all around. The post-match Happy Hour helped to soothe the aches and pains, and goodwill remained high.

Thursday 4 September dawned under heavy skies and torrential rain making outdoor play impossible, but the committee worked hard to shift matches indoors to the Queen’s Club, where some outstanding tennis was on display. Rumour has it that it was also the occasion of a rare mixed doubles pairing between Peter Harding and his lovely wife, Sue. Fortunately, they were both seen smiling broadly at the end of the day, so all was well.

The Gala Banquet took place on Thursday evening in the Philpott Room of the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club, where a fabulous dinner was served, followed by speeches and the bestowing of honorary memberships for the Event Director, Karen Clarke, and the IC of Canada President, Dale Kozicz. In turn, the Canadian IC gave honorary memberships to Rob Principe and Paula Myslivecek (USA), Miguel Angel Reyes Varela and Alfredo Riefkohl (Mexico), Jimmy Tasker (Barbados), Fernando De Marinis (Argentina), Michael Toyer (Bermuda), and Peter Harding (Great Britain).

The event wrapped up with a day trip to Niagara Falls on Friday 5 September, where teammates donned the iconic red plastic ponchos for a memorable trip on the Maid of the Mist to see the Falls up close. A little shopping and sightseeing followed, and then everyone headed to Reif Estate Winery for an afternoon of wine tasting and lunch before returning to Toronto at the end of the day.

In all, the IC of Canada’s 60th anniversary celebration was a wonderful success, where many old friendships were renewed and many new ones forged in the spirit of “hands across the net, friendship across the ocean.”

The IC of Canada wishes to express its deepest gratitude to the IC Council for its generous support of our event.

Many thanks to all those who travelled from near and far to help the IC of Canada celebrate its milestone 60th Anniversary!

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