Less than a month after winning the Circuit des Raquettes 2026 Masters in early October, Amira Benaissa and Julien Dando have each added another title in the opening weeks of the 2027 edition.
The 2027 Circuit des Raquettes kicked off between Oct. 11 and 31 in Malepère, in the Aude department of southwestern France. Benaissa, of US Colomiers TC, holds a -2/6 ranking, while Dando, of Nogaro-Le Houga TC in the Gers, is ranked -4/6.
Benaissa wins in Algeria, then a three-hour final at home in Colomiers
Benaissa traveled to Algeria the day after the Masters and won the national singles championship with four victories, though she lost the doubles final, she told La Dépêche du Midi. Back in Colomiers, she entered the quarterfinals as the No. 1 seed and won her first two matches in straight sets at 2/6.
The final required more patience: Benaissa needed three sets — 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 — to defeat Ambre Le Prunenec of Stade Toulousain Tennis Padel, who is ranked 0. The match lasted three hours, and Benaissa said her physical condition carried her through the final set, with a large crowd on hand to support her. She is expected to resume competition next month.
Dando grinds through three matches in one day to take Colomiers
Dando, meanwhile, followed his Malepère title with another crown in Colomiers — despite playing three matches in a single day across the two tournaments. After the awards ceremony in Malepère, he went straight to Colomiers, where he was also the No. 1 seed in the quarterfinals.
He won his semifinal in three sets before dropping only five games in the final against Matis Faurie of Saint-Germain Puch TC, also ranked 0, winning 6-3, 6-2. Dando said he was exhausted and disrupted his opponent’s game from the second shot, relying on chops and drop shots. Two of his victories at Malepère came against ranked players, which he said will lift him to -15 for the first time in his career — and he questioned whether he had ever played at that level on indoor hard courts. He is scheduled to play at the Auch tournament this weekend.
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