High-level action in Abidjan: Garrido–Bergamini set up Arce–Tello for the title

A three-set battle decided the most anticipated pair’s victory. The semi-finals of the FIP Gold in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, delivered one of the standout matches of the tournament, featuring Javi Garrido and Lucas Bergamini on one side and Dylan Guichard and Clement Geens on the other. At the Centre Sportif, Culturel et des TIC Ivoiro-Coréen, the opening men’s semi-final appeared to be over after a dominant first set from the top seeds; the 6-1 from Garrido–Bergamini, however, did not discourage the Franco-Belgian pair, one of the most in-form teams on the CUPRA FIP Tour in recent weeks, who broke in the sixth game of the second set to build towards a 6-3 win and level the match, energising the crowd. The technical superiority of Garrido and Bergamini then emerged in the third set, closed 6-3, also influenced by a physical drop from their opponents after the break conceded in the seventh game; a result that sends the numbers 15 and 20 in the FIP Ranking into their third final as a pair, after the FIP Platinum in Marseille and the FIP Silver in Dubai.

 

In the lower half of the draw, Maxi Arce and Juan Tello continued their strong run with an excellent performance against Gonza Alfonso and Javi Barahona. The second seeds immediately took control of the match, dictating the tempo and closing out a 6-4 6-2 victory in one hour of play. Arce and Tello therefore continue their push towards a second consecutive title, following their triumph at the FIP Platinum Paredes: the final against Javi Garrido and Lucas Bergamini is scheduled for Sunday at 19:00 local time (21:00 CEST).

 

The decisive day will open at 17:00 (19:00 CEST) with the women’s final, which will also feature the top two seeded pairs. Noa Canovas and Laia Rodriguez (1) will aim to deliver another strong performance after their 6-3 6-3 win over Ana Varo and Marcella Koek, and are targeting a second consecutive FIP Gold title following their victory two weeks ago in Shanghai. This time they will face Laura Lujan and Araceli Martinez, who progressed after a 7-5 6-3 win over Julia Polo and Marina Lobo: for the second seeds, it will be their first final together just one month after beginning their partnership.