At 13, Manon Heitzmann, already victorious in an N3 senior tournament this month, has a mind of steel. After winning the first set of the final in a snatch (22-20), the player from Bollwiller-Staffelfelden (Entente Sportive 2 Badminton) reversed an extremely compromised situation in the second set against Mélia Beulé, licensed in Orvault ( Loire Atlantique).
“It’s a surprise to win”
Led 11-15 then 16-19, the resident of the Pôle espoirs de Strasbourg since last year saved two set points. Returning to height (21-21), she scored two consecutive points to conclude on her first match point. “I thought she would be stronger than me, I had nothing to lose. It’s a surprise to win”, slips, in all modesty, the student of 4e at the Hans-Arp college.
Thanks to this success, Manon Heitzmann, who did not drop a set during this very tough competition, is certain to represent France at the U15 8 Nations Tournament next month in Germany. “Manon has a huge impact in the exchange, she puts a lot of strength into her steering wheel,” rejoices Maxime Leroux, her coach at the Pole, who places her in the top 10 in Europe.
The teenager from Réguisheim, who has worked a lot on “control and fixation” in recent weeks, also made it to the doubles final alongside Kembsoise Elisa Hess (born a year after her), triple champion of France. This time, Mélia Beulé had the last word, in duet with the Ile-de-France Mathilde Pinna, semi-finalist in the singles.
In U11, Ilan Erdogan, who plays for the Volant des 3 Frontières in Saint-Louis, lifted the French International Borders (FIB) trophy, both in singles and doubles, associated with Tom Weissberger (Bollwiller-Staffelfelden), individual semi-finalist.
Among the U13s, the nugget Clara Menegazzi-Briquet (Charleville-Mézières), the best European player in her category, won the FIB.
