French Championships 2026: Favorites gain momentum, top seeds knocked out

The round of 16 delivers its verdict in Agen and several pairs are starting to seriously gain momentum. Bergeron / Fonteny accelerated Seurin / Vanbauce et Joris / Forcin are present, while Alexis Coulombeau and Arthur Hugounenq sign off the first major performance in the men's draw. In the women's draw, the top seeds are living up to expectations, with the exception of Denecheau / Majdoubi (TS6) exits by Pecastaing / Bougon .

Coulombeau / Hugounenq defeat the top seed

It was certainly the most unpredictable round of 16 match of the early afternoon. Alexis Coulombeau and Arthur Hugounenq got the better of Yanis Muesser and Philémon Raichman , seeded 7, to record the first great performance of these French Championships.

The two men do not play together regularly, but when they get together, the formula works. Arthur Hugounenq, 12th ranked French player, and Alexis Coulombeau, 31st ranked , formed the tenth pair in the draw and faced two players with higher individual rankings, Muesser (14th) and Raichman (16th) .

Finalists together from Toulouse P2000 last July Coulombeau and Hugounenq did not crack. Facing a pair with more experience – Muesser and Raichman had started the year together on the international circuit before separating – they displayed great solidity.

Coulombeau's precision, combined with Hugounenq's talent and attacking prowess, allows the two Frenchmen to reach a particularly impressive level of play together. A real promise for the rest of the tournament.

For Muesser / Raichman So, the adventure ends in the round of 16: The top seed in the men's draw falls in Agen.

French Championships 2026: Favorites gain momentum, top seeds fall by the wayside — Alexis Coulombeau, French Championships 2026

Bergeron / Fonteny shift into high gear

In the quarter-finals, Coulombeau/Hugounenq will face a serious test as they will meet Johan Bergeron and Timéo Fonteny (TS2) .

After a less convincing first round, the two French internationals have clearly raised their level of play. Facing Julien Motz and Guillaume Ledrap Bergeron/Fonteny showed no mercy and won. 6 / 2 6 / 4 .

A true show of strength from the number 2 seeds, who are hitting their stride at the perfect time. Nevertheless, we should remember the impressive run of Motz/Ledrap, who defeated [the other pair] in the previous round. Théo Suzanna / Tristan Piombo .

Seurin/Vanbauce and Joris/Forcin didn't come to string beads

Among the outsiders to watch in this table, Julien Seurin and Thomas Vanbauce continue to move forward. They did the job perfectly in the face of Pierre Perez Le Tiec / Clément Filho , with a victory 6 / 1 6 / 4 .

Same observation for Maxime Joris and Maxime Forcin Despite their lack of familiarity with each other, the two Maximes have made a very good start to the championship. They are winning. 6 / 2 6 / 4 face Olivier Guy de Chamisso / Lucas Pillon and they too secure their place in the quarterfinals.

The bottom half of the draw has yet to deliver its verdict, with two big matches on the schedule: Jules Marie / Jérôme Inzerillo versus Damien Bayard / Pierre Vincent and Benjamin Tison / Adrien Maigret versus Dylan Guichard / Manuel Vives .

Bahurel/Pothier and the top seeds flex their muscles

Among the women, the favorites are also starting to find their rhythm.

Louise Bahurel / Lucile Pothier (TS2) , undoubtedly one of the best-equipped pairs to challenge the top favorites Léa Godallier / Carla Touly had to battle in the first set against Alexise Duchêne / Charlène Tonda After a close first set, the second seed pulled away to win. 7 / 5 6 / 1 .

In the quarterfinals, they will meet Steffi Merah / Élodie Invernon They too have been very convincing since the start of the competition. After ending the run of Mai Vo / Mélanie Ros Merah and Invernon have still only conceded that four games in two matches .

This quarter-final promises to be a great one, with in particular Three players selected for the French national team for the World Championships .

Lambert/Barla continue, Marcarie/Senjean join them in the quarter-finals

The seeded 3 Lou Lambert Agosti / Kimy Barla He also continues his very good start to the tournament. Victory 6 / 3 6 / 4 face Stéphanie Weil / Manon Richer to join the quarters.

They will find there Manon Marcarie, 9th ranked French player, and Cassandra Senjean, 15th who have also secured their position.

A poster with a small detail: the four players trained this week at the Big Padel Bordeaux Academy It now remains to be seen which ones will extend their week to the final four.

Pecastaing / Bougon create a sensation

The pleasant surprise of the women's draw comes from Julie Pecastaing / Joanna Bougon The eleventh pair in the tournament, they knocked out Jennifer Denecheau / Nada Majdoubi (TS6) in two rounds, 7 / 6 6 / 4 .

This performance opens the door to a prestigious quarter-final against the overwhelming favorites. Léa Godallier / Carla Touly (TS1) They asserted their status against the younger pair Augustine Charpentier / Zia Debroy .

Meanwhile, the 8rd seed Lisa Bognard / Alice Hofer dominated Laurine Bergaud / Alison Casalli de Lima , 6 / 3 6 / 4 , and now awaits to find out who their quarter-final opponent will be, following the match between Mansart / Dardaine and Ligi / Soubrié .

The draws are therefore starting to tighten in Agen. The favorites are gaining momentum, but the top seeds are also starting to fall: the quarter-finals are shaping up to be particularly open.

Maceo ZERHAT

Maceo Zerhat discovered padel in 2020 in Savigny-sur-Clairis, Burgundy. He contributed to the club's expansion by bringing his energy and curiosity. Padel Magazinehe transmits his Padel"mania" by skillfully bouncing on all the latest news about your favorite sport!