No unpleasant surprises for  Alix Collombon  et  Ksenia Sharifova The Franco-Russian pair made a perfect start to their tournament by defeating the British, who received a wild card for this first edition of the  Premier Padel London P1 , on the score of  6 / 1 7 / 6 .

Dominantly dominant in the first set, which they won in just a few minutes (6-1), Collombon and Sharifova seemed headed for an easy victory. But the script changed in the second set. More relaxed, the favorites allowed their British opponents to gain confidence, to the point of finding themselves in a tiebreak. A minor scare that ultimately had no consequences, as the Franco-Russian pair tightened their game at the right moment to avoid a third set that would undoubtedly have completely changed the course of the match.

This slight dip in form should not, however, obscure the main point: the difference in level between the two teams was evident, and both Collombon and Sharifova generally controlled their game to reach the round of 16.

The next round promises to be a completely different challenge. The two players will face off against...  seed n ° 4 ,  Claudia fernandez  et  Martina Calvo , recent finalists of the  Pretoria P1 where they came within two points of a first title together.

On paper, the advantage is clearly with the Spanish pair. Full of confidence after their superb run in South Africa, Fernandez and Calvo will be eager to maintain their excellent momentum and, this time, go even further in the London tournament.

For Alix Collombon and Ksenia Sharifova, the task ahead looks particularly challenging. Their primary objective will be to play freely, enjoy themselves, and take risks. Facing a team that currently appears superior in most aspects of the game, the Franco-Russian pair has nothing to lose and can try to upset the established order by playing without inhibition. It's often in these kinds of matches that the biggest surprises can emerge.

Franck Binisti

Franck Binisti discovered padel at the Club des Pyramides in 2009 in the Paris region. Since then, padel has been part of his life. You often see him touring France to cover major French padel events.

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