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.

Load last 15 media item(s)Loading...

Tribute to Christiane Mercelis, 1931-2024

There is a good reason why the trophy of the Women’s Event in our IC Weeks was named in 1997 after Christiane Mercelis who died in June of this year.  

The very elegant but modest Christiane was the incarnation of the spirit of the International Club. As a player and a person her conduct on and off court was impeccable.  Fair-play was in her nature.

Christiane was probably in the top 15 or 20 in the world. She won the Junior event at Wimbledon in 1949 having never played on grass before and after half an hour’s practice before her first round.  She went on to win the indoor championships in France, Germany and the then Soviet Union (in Moscow).  She also won in Rome on clay in 1960.  She won countless Belgian singles, doubles and mixed national titles.

She was always popular with juniors, she listened and helped.  Perhaps because she herself could remember the days in which she’d waited patiently to get on courts at her local club while adults and then older children had priority. 

Her elegance on and off court belied a sense of humour.  She admitted that sometimes she needed half a glass of good Belgian beer to calm nerves (which she never seemed to show) before a match. She once half-joked that the allowance she’d been given to cover expenses the first time she’d played at Roland-Garros were fine – provided one didn’t get past the first round! She got through her first round; and she reached the quarter-finals there in 1957. Eventually she gave up tennis when her doctor suggested that at her age (she was in her 80s) she might now have to let a few balls go past her.

She was President of the IC of Belgium from 2002 to 2010.