Who are the four French people competing in the final of the CO’Met Orléans Open this Sunday?

We will only see blue in the doubles final of the CO’Met Orléans Open, this afternoon, at the start of the program, around 2:30 p.m. Two French pairs will compete, in fact, for the title often won here by locals (2005, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2021 and 2022), the iconic Nicolas Mahut and Édouard Roger-Vasselin being the last of this beautiful line.

Grégoire Jacq and Manuel Guinard on one side, Benjamin Bonzi and Sascha Gueymard Wayenburg on the other, make up this final casting, very close off the court, and as different as possible in their shared experiences. If the former have multiplied tournaments and associations “since May 2023”, with a haul of nine titles gleaned from the Challenger circuit, the latter launched their collaboration this week in Orléans.

Benjamin Bonzi rarely lines up in doubles, despite having an interesting record of service nonetheless. “I made a quarter-final in a Grand Slam (in Australia, in 2023, with Arthur Rinderknech), it’s not bad, right?”

In this specialty, the Nîmes also distinguished itself on the big circuit, winning the ATP 250 in Montpellier in 2019, with the help of Édouard Roger-Vasselin. “It’s not my priority, but I like it. This week, we’re having fun with Sascha. We’re playing well and we’re having fun. If we can still have a little more on Sunday, we won’t worry. “I won’t deprive you of it,” he confides.Benjamin Bonzi

“It’s an opportunity to make great memories together. That’s also what sport is,” adds his friend, six years younger, who will play his very first Challenger final this Sunday.

What is the main key to their success?

The Auvergne Grégoire Jacq (69th in the world in doubles) and the Breton Manuel Guinard (74th) know this by heart and will obviously start as favorites later. Their complementarity is not the least of their assets, with this alliance of a tall (1.98 m) right-handed, very fine volleyball player (Guinard), and a left-hander of standard size (1.80 m) who hits hard the ball. “It’s true that we tick a lot of boxes, and it worked straight away between us. We reached the final in our first tournament together, a Challenger in Germany (May 2023). Right after, we won five finals during the summer”, informs Jacq.

Harold Mayot a final du simple

Listening to them, the main key to their success lies in “their good understanding off the court”. “It’s super important, and that’s what keeps our duo going. We’re very good friends. Spending time together isn’t a chore. We create something together,” assures the second. “We know what we are worth. When you start a tournament like Orléans, it’s to win it”, continues the pair, not varnished until then in the Loiret. Neither had never won a single match there, in three appearances ( one for Guinard, two for Jacq).

Raphaël Coquel