He couldn’t have dreamed of better: for his last year at the head of the Caen Open, Denis Agostini enjoyed this Wednesday, December 13, a few moments after the final won by the Australian Alex de Minaur against the French Ugo Humbert (7 -6/6-7/6-3): “It’s exceptional. The players didn’t give up. It’s the first at the Palais des Sports, with a final like that, I’m super happy. » The Caen tennis tournament marked its move from the Zénith de Caen to the city’s brand new sports venue in style: an epic men’s final, the first in its history in more than three hours, between two members of the world’s top 20.
This change was expected and attracted curiosity. During the inauguration days at the beginning of September, a supporter already confided to us her eagerness to see “this Roland Garros in miniature”. Guaranteed and public impact with four sold-out days, almost 4,000 spectators since Sunday December 10. The semi-final between Alexandre Müller and Alex De Minaur (already him), held the arena in suspense on Tuesday, for more than 2h30. The final was even stronger, impressing Tanguy in the stands: “It was epic, especially in this arena. It’s not the same atmosphere as at the Zénith, with a speaker who knows how to do it. »
” I loved !”
Thanks to infrastructure that was tailor-made, so to speak, the tournament has changed in size. We could thus see the players in the weight room and benefit from a comfortable setting better suited to high-level sport, obviously, than the neighboring performance hall, the astonishing theater of the Open since 2011, until Last year. At the Palais des Sports, the event, financed by private partners, also found ways to better entertain, with lounges and boxes overlooking the court.
On Monday, Varvara Gracheva defeated Sarah Iliev in the final of the women’s tournament. World number 12, Alex De Minaur, also puts his name on the list. The Australian could well have put Caen in the back of his mind for a moment, like his evening opponent Ugo Umbert. The Caen Open falls one month before the first grand slam of the season in Australia. The French number 1 also made his comeback on a court in Normandy. By his own admission: “I loved it. There was a crazy atmosphere, it made me want to push myself to win the second set. It’s a great preparation.” For the sport, the public and the organization, the event provided “a great publicity for tennis in Caen”, assures Tanguy, a delighted supporter. Without being official, the tournament has still grown in its new home.
