The men's final of the French Championships 2025 kept all its promises. Opposed to the Bastien pair Blanked / Nicolas Rouanet (TS4), the seed 1 composed of Dylan Guichard et Manuel Vives had to wait for a decisive tie-break, unprecedented in the history of France, to win his first title.

A perfect start for Vives and Guichard

Very good start to the match Dylan Guichard, which immediately weighs in its diagonal. Opposite, some unusual faults and a break from 1/1. Behind, Manuel Vives also returns very well, he puts a lot of physical intensity and surprises by returning quickly to the net. With Dylan, they manage to put Bastien to sleep a little Blanked, who rarely touches the ball, and Nicolas Rouanet, who rushes too much in his choices. Result: double break, even if Blanqué and Rouanet manage to break once, Vives and Guichard immediately regain the advantage and conclude the first set 6/2.

Blanqué and Rouanet opportunists

In the second round, the momentum remains with the first seed. Dylan hurts Rouanet in the diagonal and Vives continues to apply pressure. But this time, Blanqué and Rouanet hang on, stay solid on their serve and take the lead. 5/4, they take advantage of a few direct errors from their opponents, they are opportunistic to conclude the set 6/4 and completely restart the match.

A final breathless act

The third set resembled a game of chess. Vives and Guichard held their positions without much trembling, but Rouanet settled into the exchange, gradually neutralizing Guichard in the diagonal and Blanqué gained momentum. 5/4, the Blanqué / Rouanet pair even obtains two match points…but fails to conclude.

Everything is therefore played out in a historic tie-break, the first ever contested in the French final. Vives and Guichard kept their heads and quickly took the lead. And it was with a final burst of brilliance, a crazy outing from Vives on a par 3 from Blanqué, that they won the title. Final score: 6/2 4/6 7/6.

An unreleased title

This victory has a special flavor:

  • Dylan Guichard was playing his third consecutive final after 2023 (with Scatena) and 2024 (with Forcin). This time, he finally holds his first national title.
  • Manuel Vives, twice stopped in the semi-finals and recently returned from injury, made a return to the forefront by winning a historic title in his first final.
  • On the other hand, the disappointment is immense. Bastien Blanqué, triple title holder with Thomas Leygue and already six-time French champion, sees his series come to an end. As for Nicolas Rouanet, he failed in his first final, despite a brilliant tournament and two title shots obtained.

An epic final, full of tension and emotion, which will remain one of the most memorable in the history of the French Championships.

Benjamin Dupouy

I discovered padel directly during a tournament, and frankly, I didn't really like it at first. But the second time, it was love at first sight, and since then, I haven't missed a single match. I'm even ready to stay up until 3am to watch a final of Premier Padel !

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