Madrid P1: Guichard / Geens are stopped by Arce / Tello but leave with many positives

End of course for Dylan Guichard and Clément Geens at Madrid P1. The Franco-Belgian pair were defeated in the round of 32 by the 10th seed, Maxi Arce / Juan Tello , 7/5 6/3 in 1h29 A logical defeat against two players ranked 19th and 26th in the world, but a performance that confirms the excellent tournament achieved by Guichard and Geens.

A first set where Guichard/Geens looked their opponents in the eye

The Franco-Belgian pair achieves a almost perfect start to the match Without trying to overplay, Guichard and Geens set up their padel game, making perfect use of the lob, especially on Maxi Maple and take advantage of the first opponent's mistakes to quickly break away.

A simple but effective strategy: stay solid, add volume and let Arce/Tello take the risks .

Gradually, however, the 10th seed gains momentum and closes the gap. The match then becomes completely balanced, with several very large rallies and a Franco-Belgian pair that continues to keep pace.

À 6/5 Just as the tie-break seemed imminent, everything changed. On a smash of Clement Geens The Belgian rider couldn't find the gate and was countered. Arce/Tello took advantage of this opening to break away at the worst possible moment and clinch the first heat. 7/5 .

Arce and Tello pick up the pace

The scenario becomes more complicated in the second set. Arce and Tello further increase the physical intensity and quickly take over their opponents' service.

Arce finds more space and hurts in bajadawhile Tello begins to carry much more weight with his viper This time, Guichard and Geens are chasing the score.

The Franco-Belgian pair refused to give up. They even saved several match points and maintained a glimmer of hope for a comeback, but Arce/Tello remained solid and held onto their advantage until the end to seal the victory. 6/3 .

A more than successful Madrid P1

The defeat should not make us forget the Dylan Guichard and Clément Geens had a very good tournament After perfectly executed qualifying rounds, they secured one of the finest victories in their association's history in the first round by defeating Victor Ruiz / Mario Ortega, 7/6 7/6 , that is, two players from the world's top 50 and top 70.

Even this defeat against Arce/Tello can serve as a reference point. For a good part of the match, Guichard and Geens showed that they could keep up against players in the world's top 20. without needing to overact.

Solid, complementary and increasingly comfortable at this level, they continue to confirm tournament after tournament that they can trouble higher-ranked pairs.

The rest will come very soon: Dylan Guichard and Clément Geens will have direct entry into the main draw of the Paris Major next week thanks to a wild card. After what they just showed in Madrid, they will arrive at Roland-Garros with confidence and the desire to pull off another big win.

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 !