FIP Tour: Dardaine and Mansart stun in Dronten
The FIP Tour delivered a mixed picture for French padel players on a single tournament day. While several Tricolore pairs exited in Dublin and A Coruña, Marie-Amélie Dardaine and Clara Mansart provided the clear highlight at the FIP Bronze in Dronten. Their win against a seeded favorite pair rescued the French balance sheet and underlined that strong signals are possible even away from the major Premier Padel stages.
Heavy defeats at the FIP Silver in Dublin
In the Irish capital, the French adventure ended as early as the round of 16. On the men's side, Yanis Muesser and Arthur Hugounenq were the last remaining pair on court. Against Italians Rosingana and Vaccari, a tight three-set match unfolded. After a clear 2-6 in the opening set, the French responded and took the second 6-2. In the decisive third-set tie-break, however, the final edge was missing; the score finished 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 in favor of the Italian pairing.
That ended France's men's representation in Dublin. The close contest showed fight and adaptability but was not enough for a quarter-final place. The third set in particular illustrated how fine the margins are at FIP Silver level when two pairs stay level for long stretches.
Merah and Minelli given no chance by Rose and Gibson
In the women's doubles, Steffi Merah alongside Italian Matilde Minelli never found the desired rhythm. Against the British pair Catherine Rose and Aimee Gibson, the eighth seeds, they suffered a clear 1-6, 2-6 defeat. The Britons controlled tempo and placement and allowed the Franco-Italian duo only three games in total.
Cassandra Senjean and Lou Lambert Agosti also found no answer to second seeds Ana Domínguez Gracia and Aitana Martínez Sanjuán. The Spanish pair won 6-2, 6-0 and ended the French run early. In parallel, Kimy Barla and Michela Zaccagnini fell to top seeds Noemi Aguilar Carrillo and Letizia Maria Manquillo Alarza by 6-2, 6-1.
With these five round-of-16 losses, French involvement at the FIP Silver Dublin was over. No Tricolore team reached the quarter-finals, which weighed heavily on the Irish record and shifted attention to the parallel events in Spain and the Netherlands.
Laura Buteau reaches the quarter-finals in A Coruña
At the FIP Bronze in A Coruña, Laura Buteau could still take positives despite her exit. In the round of 16 the Frenchwoman had cleared Melissa Martin and Fitia Robinson to secure a place among the last eight. Against second seeds Fernández González and Guerra Santana the task then proved too great: Buteau lost 3-6, 6-7 after building pressure in the second set and pushing her opponents deep.
The trajectory underlined the quality of her tournament. Reaching the quarter-finals and stretching a seeded favorite pair for long phases ranks among the solid results at FIP Bronze level. For the rest of the season this run offers clear evidence of consistency and competitiveness against internationally experienced opponents.
Sensation in Dronten: Dardaine and Mansart beat the fourth seeds
The sporting sensation of the day came from the Netherlands. At the FIP Bronze Dronten, Marie-Amélie Dardaine and Clara Mansart defeated fourth seeds Giulia Sussarello and Ivet Val Lopez. Sussarello ranks 98th in the world, Val Lopez 126th. After a long battle the French pair won 6-2, 6-7, 7-6, showing remarkable mental stability along the way.
The first set went clearly to Dardaine and Mansart. In the second the favorites turned the match and took the set on a tie-break. In the decisive third set the French duo stayed calm and took the key points in another tie-break. With that win the pair reaches the quarter-finals, where sixth seeds Jimena Díaz De La Iglesia and Paula Ferrán of Spain await.
- FIP Silver Dublin: five French losses in the round of 16, no Tricolore in the quarter-finals
- FIP Bronze A Coruña: Laura Buteau reaches the quarter-finals and falls there to the second seeds
- FIP Bronze Dronten: Dardaine and Mansart beat the fourth seeds in three sets and advance to the quarter-finals
Overall picture of a mixed FIP Tour round
Looking across the results from Dublin, A Coruña and Dronten, a clear contrast emerges. In Ireland the French run ended early and across both men's and women's doubles. In Spain, Buteau showed substance by reaching the last eight. In the Netherlands, Dardaine and Mansart delivered the reference win of the round against a clearly higher-ranked pair.
The match in Dronten deserves particular attention. A three-set win against seeded opponents ranked inside the world's top 150 signals that French pairs at FIP Bronze level can take points even under pressure. The upcoming Spanish quarter-final opponents will provide the next stern test and show whether the upset can turn into sustained form.
For the French padel calendar the FIP Tour thus remains a central stage. Results like the one in Dronten strengthen the Tricolores' standing in the international mid-tier and offer concrete reference points for the weeks ahead. At the same time the Dublin record underlines that tight third sets and seeded opposition still demand maximum precision.
