Until November 9, the Moselle Open brings together the cream of tennis players, who cross iron and the little yellow ball. To experience it live, we went to spend the day of November 5 in the Metz Arena. We ate quiche Lorraine there, but above all saw big tennis matches, including the last one in Metz by Richard Gasquet, a legend of French tennis.
Every year for 21 years, the Moselle Open brings men's tennis back to the Grand Est, for the only ATP tournament in the region. A competition which saw a very young Novak Djokovic win in 2006but also Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on 4 occasions [record du tournoi, ndlr] or Gilles Simon, triple crowned.
A tournament which has not been supported by the ATP for two years, moved to the beginning of November when it initially took place in the second half of September. All because of the Laver Cup, an exhibition tournament. This year again, it takes place from November 2 to 9, just before the Masters [regroupant les 8 meilleurs joueurs, ndlr]leading to a cascade of last-minute packages, distorting the competition.
But seeing high-level men's tennis in the Grand Est is complicated [à l’exception du Challenger de Troyes et des championnats de France par équipes avec le TC Strasbourg, ndlr], Several of us jumped in a car to go the 1h45 that separates us from our Metz neighbors for a great day of tennis.
1st set: arrival and a first Strasbourg double as an aperitif
After an autumn fog like we don't see anymore, and €15 in tolls spent on a hundred kilometers of motorway, we meet in front of the Metz Arena. Although paid parking lots exist, there is finally a street where you can park for free, 10 minutes from the stadium.
The good news, for those who would like to go there by train, is that the Moselle Open is only about ten minutes on foot from the station.. The bad: the last train to Strasbourg leaves at 8:42 p.m., which limits your options for the evening session, where the best matches are generally scheduled.
Once our tickets have been validated, we enter the enclosure, a little empty of entertainment and old-fashioned. Only one club house with everything you need for aperitifs catches our eye. However, everything changes when you enter directly onto the main court: you can see clearly from everywhere and the facilities are of high quality. Plus, a nice surprise: two Strasbourg residents play the inaugural double, starting at noon.
Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Albano Olivetti relive their younger years by recreating a pair of doubles which brought joy to TC Strasbourg in the 1st division. Opposed to the Jamaican showman Dustin Brown and the American Éric King, the two Strasbourg residents won 6/3 7/6, without really trembling. All in front of a sparse audience, who undoubtedly wanted to gain strength for the big match of the day: Rublev-Sonego.
2nd set: a Top 10, a gymnasium atmosphere and special supporters
The context is particular: this November 5 in the morning, Rublev is 9th in the Race. Translation: he needs to have a good run in Metz to get into the 8 and qualify for the Masters. Except that around noon, Novak Djokovic announced his withdrawal, thus qualifying the Russian… who therefore no longer needs to play the tournament. The organizers are in a cold sweat, but Rublev still holds his place, for a complicated match to play, he lacks confidence.
After enjoying quiches Lorraine and croque-monsieur with fairly good value for moneywe sit down to see the stumps in proper form. The atmosphere in the Arena goes up a notch, and the exchanges are fierce, with an Italian who doesn't give up on his serve. After almost an hour of play where he came close to breaking a racket, Rublev finally mastered the important points better, and came out in the lead 7/6.
At that moment, we decided to go watch a French duel on court no. 1 [les billets donnent accès aux deux courts, ndlr] : Gaston-Droguet. Beyond the opportunity to see the first player touch the ball, it is also the opportunity to enter another world: court n°1 is a gymnasium like we have seen dozens of in our lives, in an atmosphere more like a Sunday morning team match than an ATP 250 tournament. Another very enjoyable world, and where the quality of the game still remains present.
After a first set won 7/6 by Gaston [les tie-breaks auront été le fil conducteur de la journée, ndlr]some return to the center to watch the Frenchman Mannarino against the Chinese Bu. The opportunity to discover the latter, a young person who is coming up, but also to meet a few spectators, there not to set the mood, but rather the opposite. Cheering Bu loudly throughout the match, they gave the impression of being gamblers looking for big odds, rather than real tennis fans. A problem that affects the entire circuit, particularly the secondary, but also the players.
Amused for a while, then irritated after about twenty minutes of uninterrupted sketch, we take a short break at the club housewatching the match on a screen. A small concert starts at that moment, with covers of hits that are not always very inspired. And we finally come back for the end of a rather disappointing Mannarino-Bu, despite a great last gamewith a Frenchman who has never really been able to get past a simply better Chinese (7/6 6/4).
3rd set: the last match in Metz of the legend Richard Gasquet
Everything then happens quite quickly: Ugo Humbert, recent finalist at Bercy and winner last year in Metz, comes to say hello to the supporters for a short interview. But above all, the first match of the night session is before us: Richard Gasquet against Alex Michelsen. A clash of generations: the Frenchman is 38 years old compared to 20 years for his American opponent. And for the little anecdote: Gasquet played his first final in Metz in 2004… a few months after Michelsen's birth!
After a very tight first set, the Frenchman pulls off a few genius moves to win the tie-break. Already worn out from his big fight the day before against Monteiro, Gasquet continued to hang on and even had a break point at 4-4 in the second set. And just as the audience finally started to get excited, the American calmed everyone down with an outward ace. Finally, he managed to escape, easily winning the tiebreak 7/3.
At the start of the 3rd, no one really thought highly of Gasquet, who was starting to stick out his tongue. But thanks to his serve, his paws and his well-felt backhands, he came back each time against an American who was also seriously starting to stick out his tongue.. And as a symbol, the match ends with a final tie-break. While he leads 4-0, Gasquet is brought up by Michelsen; but thanks to two incredible points, the Frenchman gets back in front, with two match points.
While the Arena was just waiting to ignite for its valiant gladiator, Michelsen easily saved them and after two match points for him, the third was the right one (10-8). Air conditioning a stadium won over to Gasquet's cause, except the same “supporters” as earlier. Richard the Lionheart thus ends his Moselle adventure, to a standing ovation from the public. A courageous but frustrating end, which ultimately illustrates well the career of the French tennis player.
For us, the late hour pushed us to leave before the last match of the evening, a Moutet-Struff which kept all its promises, the French magician winning in three tight sets. A great atmosphere in these Arenas of Metz, not helped by the various packages which overwhelmed the tournament during the day: Dimitrov then Rublev withdrew, while Casper Ruud has not given any news for the moment. A disillusionment for a tournament essential to tennis in the Grand Est, and not helped by the authorities supposed to have its interests in mind. Hoping to be able to come back next year.
