Bouzige, the Australian Aito in the final

On paper, nothing suggested that he would be one of the attractions of the 2025 edition of the ATP Challenger in Nouméa. At 25, Moerani Bouzigue obtained the best ranking of his career on the professional circuit at the end of last year, at 517^e place. He arrived in New Caledonia under the radar, and for every match that came his way, the state of mind was the same. “I have not played any match being the favorite. Each time, I am the outsider and that suits me well to handle the pressure. It is an advantage not to be expectedhe explained after spectacularly eliminating Frenchman Constant Lestienne in the semi-final, who was part of the circle of 50 best tennis players on the planet in 2023.

After their duel, whether in the official stand or near the clubhouse, which overlooks the Ouen Toro courts, many spectators expressed their pleasure in seeing this Australian of Tahitian origin play. “In the first set, he was led 5-2 by Lestienne, but he came back into the match by being more aggressive, attacking all the balls. We felt that he was letting go of the shots and on the other side, there was had more protests”.

A first round finally won 7-6 by the Frenchman, who however shows a change in ascendancy. This is true in the second set where the rallies, these long exchanges fought between two players, often turn in Bouzige’s favor. The latter likes to play strong and long on his backhand with both hands. His low balls are never far from the baseline.

Another quality: its ability to respond to the power of opposing blows regardless of the duration of the action. “I felt my shots really well. I had confidence in each of my movements, and I was satisfied with the way I approached the points strategically.”

Even in difficulty, this true Aito of tennis finds resources. At 2 all in the third set and 40/30, on his second service ball, he serves forcefully on the inside line of the square to win the game. He breaks immediately after having found the line again on his backhand and continues a few missiles just fell.

The gap widens when he returns to service and adds other arrows to his bow. Volley, drop shot and winning service allowed him to take off 5-2 then pocket the second set 6-3. He then broke from the start in the final round and led 2-0 after integrating a few sliced ​​balls into his arsenal.

If Lestienne shows some signs of weariness in the face of this opponent who returns everything, the opposite is also true. The accuracy of his forehands hit very early just after the rebound hits the mark like superb drop shots. He provokes several unforced errors from his rival who loses his lead and hits a ball in anger outside the league facilities (2-2). Fatigue is felt but the tide finally turns favorably for Bouzige who takes advantage of a let to lead 30-0 and take Lestienne’s service.

The support of the public pushed him to release a winning service then an ace to win the next game and lead 4-2. He won in the end 6-4. “It was a crazy match. I approached it without pressure, I had nothing to lose. He was the favorite, so it only depended on me. We had to play free, be focused on myself, and I I did well”he confided after the semi-final, also happy with the atmosphere. “The encouragement from the audience was incredible. My mother’s family, who is Tahitian, is here. I have cousins ​​and aunts so it’s great to play in front of them. It doesn’t happen often for me. And then supporting me even though Constant is French, it was pretty nice of them.”.

See you this Saturday, December 4, at 5 p.m., for the single final of the Nouméa ATP Challenger between Moerani Bouzige and the Japanese Shintaro Mochizuki, who managed to knock down the No. 6 seed yesterday, the Austrian Rodionov.