SSaturday November 9, the Lagord Tennis Squash (LTS) club faced Villemomble (Seine-Saint-Denis) for a 6-match match (4 singles and 2 doubles). High-level tennis on clay, a tactical choice. At the helm are the quartet Stuart Parker (n°55 national), Steven Diez (T60), Julien Cagnina (-4/6) and Adrien Gobat (n°63). Opposite, a team of 4 very sharp players, Luka Pavlovic (n°51), Lucas Gerch (n°51), Evan Furness (n°69°) and Ronan Joncour (-4/6).
In the end, the Lagordais took the points from the draw, which is already a performance according to captain Arnaud Magnin, who sums up: “This draw is for me a good result because we are closer to defeat than to victory. Our first two meetings ended in defeats: our Briton Stuart Parker was defeated by Luka Pavlovic in two sets (7-5, 6-2), who managed to destabilize him. On the second single, the local Canadian Steven Diez came up short, he did not have the weapons to fight against Lucas Gerch, much too strong for him (6-2, 6-1). »
Trailing 2 to 0, the Lagordais must quickly rectify their situation. Enter the locals Julien Cagnina (representative of Belgium in the Davis Cup) and the native Adrien Gobat, who faces Evan Furness, a most formidable Franco-Englishman. Arnaud Magnin also finds him surprisingly strong and underclassified. 1 year ago, he was No. 21 nationally and 190th in the world.
Three possible options
Furness makes Gobat suffer, he manhandles him almost the entire game thanks to his great strength from the baseline and a fairly impressive pair of legs. But the LTS resident is pugnacious, he doesn't give up and he also has canes. Cap screwed on his shapely head, Adrien Gobat comes out of his reserve. The psychological momentum is on his side, he takes his opponent to the tie-break to finally deliver the blow (3-6, 7-6, 10-4).
Then comes the turn of Lagordais Julien Cagnina (trainer of Maria Sakkari). Thanks to his talent and his purist tennis, he defeated Ronan Joncour (7-6, 4-6, 10-7). The record is straight: 2 victories for 2 defeats. Place the two doubles for three possible options: win, defeat or draw. The Gobat – Cagnina pair succeeds in bending the slender double meters Pavlovic and Joncour brilliantly. Less powerful, they trick and then psychologically wear down the Villemomblois (7-6, 7-6). The score then shows 3-2 for the LTS.
Eyes are fixed on the last meeting to achieve victory or a draw. The locals Diez – Parker then faced the formidable Gerch – Furness. Suspense until the end (3-6, 6-5) with as money time a tie-break lost down to the wire (8-10) which however leaves the Aunisiens with regrets. “For three years now, we have subscribed to a draw,” breathes Captain Magnin. Next Saturday (10 a.m. at LTS), for our second home match against Stade Toulousain, it's an imperative victory to stay in the race to maintain. » Toulouse who lost to the favorite Saint-Amand with a score of 5-1.
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