The Arena de la Porte de la Chapelle was on fire on Thursday, like the legs of Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue, who showed formidable explosiveness to gain the upper hand over their Hong Kong opponents in two sets (21 -15, 21-19), during the round of 16 of the French Open.
Their movements were fluid, the power of their shots perfectly balanced and seeing them attack their opponents so aggressively we had the impression that it was impossible for the match to escape from them. The Blues, confident at the start of the second set after their quick victory in the first (21-15), however experienced a small slump in the middle of the second, and were even led 15-11. “We had trouble getting back into it, we were a little caught up in the stakes, saying to ourselves that it was possible that we could win. We spent 11 points focusing on tactics before letting go at the end,” analyzed Gicquel.
“This noise makes me really hot, I tell myself that I have to make them like it”
Thom Gicquel, on the atmosphere
Pushed by the melting public of an Arena never so full since the start of the competition, Gicquel and Delrue (n°13) managed to destabilize the very nervous Hong Kongers, and began a superb comeback by stringing together 6 points of in a row (15-17). We said to ourselves that it was won, but the end of the match left doubts when Tang Chun Man and Tse Ying Suet found the keys to get back together at 19-19.
The audience held their breath. But this little bit of stress was beneficial for the Blues who returned to basics by using the conclusive game plan of their first set to offer the supporters one last crazy exchange, which raised the temperature. “This noise makes me really hot, I tell myself that I must make them enjoy it. I stay focused on what I have to do and I enjoy it too,” smiled the Frenchman.
Gicquel and Delrue, who do not wish to reveal their objective in the competition, will be lined up in the quarter-finals on Friday.
2024-03-07 17:59:45
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