After the ladies at the beginning of July, it's the mens' turn to have their wildcard playoff for the Paris Squash 2023, first Platinum event of the season which starts on August 27. From Wednesday to Saturday, 8 young French players will be competing at the M Squash (near Aix-en-Provence), and the winner will grab one of the coveted spots in the main draw.
THE BACKGROUND.
There are 48 spots in a Platinum event draw, both for men and women. 46 are allocated according to the world ranking, while the 2 others are wildcards. The name of the male player who will be added directly into the main draw will be unveiled soon, and in the meantime the last remaining spot will be awarded to the winner of the abovementioned wildcard playoff. They will be join the 6 French already in the main draw: Victor Crouin, Baptiste Masotti, Auguste Dussourd, Grégoire Marche, Sébastien Bonmalais and Lucas Serme.
HOW IT WORKS.
The 8 players are spread into 2 groups of 4, according to their world ranking as well as a draw that was carried out on Monday lunchtime. At the end of the group stage, the two men who have topped their pool will meet in the final (3pm local time on Saturday) and the winner will get a wildcard for the Paris Squash 2023. 3/4 play-off will also be played, in order to establish the order of the "reserve wildcards".
WHAT'S AT STAKE.
None of these players has ever featured in a Platinum event! Regardless of the outcome of the 1st round in two weeks, the ranking points will allow him to make a big jump in the world rankings.
POOL A
[1] Edwin Clain (23 years old, world ranking 85), [3/4] Macéo Lévy (20 y.o, WR 131), [5/8] Baptiste Bouin (20 y.o, WR 237), [5/8] Melvil Scianimanico (18 y.o, WR 214)
This appears to be the group of death, since the #1, #3, #5 and #6 seeds were drawn together. Edwin Clain is the favorite based on his recent results but he'll have to be on his toes from the get go, with a tough match against World Junior Championship bronze medalist Melvil Scianimanico. monde junior. Encounters between Macéo Lévy and Baptiste Bouin are usually very close, and the one who'll come out as the winner on Wednesday will be in a decent position for the remainder of the tournament.
Wednesday
4pm: [3/4] Macéo Lévy 🆚 [5/8] Baptiste Bouin
5pm: [1] Edwin Clain 🆚 [5/8] Melvil Scianimanico
Thursday
6pm: [1] Edwin Clain 🆚 [5/8] Baptiste Bouin
7pm: [3/4] Macéo Lévy 🆚 [5/8] Melvil Scianimanico
Friday
5pm: [5/8] Baptiste Bouin 🆚 [5/8] Melvil Scianimanico
6pm: [1] Edwin Clain 🆚 [3/4] Macéo Lévy
POOL B
[2] Toufik Mekhalfi (21 years old, world ranking 107), [3/4] Laouenan Loaëc (20 y.o, WR 184), [5/8] Joshua Jacques Phinera (21 y.o, WR 332), [5/8] Titouan Isambard (18 y.o, WR 363)
No offense to his opponents but Toufik Mekhalfi is strongly expected to come out on top in pool B. He now has some experience on the PSA Challenger Tour, and he'll rely on it to try and live up to his seeding, againsy 3 players that he never lost to.
Wednesday
6pm: [2] Toufik Mekhalfi 🆚 [5/8] Titouan Isambard
7pm: [3/4] Laouenan Loaëc 🆚 [5/8] Joshua Jacques Phinera
Thursday
4pm: [3/4] Laouenan Loaëc 🆚 [5/8] Titouan Isambard
5pm: [2] Toufik Mekhalfi 🆚 [5/8] Joshua Jacques Phinera
Friday
4pm: [5/8] Joshua Jacques Phinera 🆚 [5/8] Titouan Isambard
7pm: [2] Toufik Mekhalfi 🆚 [3/4] Laouenan Loaëc
Stay tuned to our social media to keep track of the results! Matches will be streamed on the Ligue de Squash Sud Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/liguepacasquash
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