Find the Tops and Flops of the weekend selected by the editorial staff of Sports du Figaro.
TOPS
Carlos Alcaraz: a champion is born
Spanish tennis is very lucky. While Rafael Nadal, winner of the last Australian Open has become the only record holder for the number of Grand Slam titles (21), at 35, Carlos Alcaraz, his designated successor, is already ready to take over. At 18, he became Sunday – by dominating Casper Ruud 7-5, 6-4 – the very first Spanish player to win in Florida after 46 editions. The phenomenon that will soon reign over world tennis has struck a blow in Miami. And he seems able to win a Grand Slam this year, and why not at Roland-Garros (May 22 – June 5). Juan Carlos Ferrero, the coach of the Spanish prodigy, had the misfortune to lose his father this week. The 2003 Roland-Garros winner thus arrived in Miami just for the final. And his player gave him a nice gift by winning his first Masters 1000. The emotion was palpable between Alacaraz and his lifelong coach. An intense moment. Surely not the last of the career of the native of Murcia, called to dominate world tennis in the near future.
Read alsoTennis: at 18, Carlos Alcaraz wins the title in Miami
Toulon maintains the hope of a comeback
On the lawn of the LOU, the RCT aligned Saturday a third success in a row (the 4th in five days, conceding only one defeat, by nothing – 18-16 -, at the Montpellier leader) confirming its metamorphosis under the orders of his new manager, Franck Azéma. The Varois even hit very hard by inflicting a 32-0 after the break to win 43-10 against a contender for the finals. And if Toulon did it… Last in the standings on February 5, on the evening of the 17th day, the RCT then pointed to 16 points from 6th. Two months later, Charles Ollivon’s teammates are 9th, just three points behind this 6th place. With, however, a very strong schedule to come: reception of the Stade Toulousain, trips to Bordeaux or to Racing 92…
Read alsoTop 14: Toulon humiliates Lyon at Gerland and knocks on the doors of the Top 6
Tetê looks after his debut in Lyon
Brazilian striker Tetê, who arrived on loan on Wednesday from Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk, scored his first goal with Olympique Lyonnais two minutes after coming into play against Angers (80th, 3-2 at this moment in the match). The 22-year-old, who came on in place of Tanguy Ndombélé, exploited a pass from Malo Gusto and shook the net with a nice shot from the left on his third touched ball, giving his team the advantage ten minutes from time. end of regulation time. Tetê was able to be hired in accordance with the system recently put in place by Fifa and validated by UEFA allowing players in the Ukrainian championship, stopped by the war, to freely join another club. “There was this very complicated, painful war situation. I see the end of it. I managed to leave Ukraine. I was in Poland with my physical trainer. I was able to prepare myself, I ran. I feel better and better“, he said Wednesday at a press conference.
Read alsoLigue 1: rookie Tetê saves Lyon from (new) disillusion
Madouas’ podium at the Tour of Flanders
«It’s already magnificent to make a podium in a monument“, Estimated Valentin Madouas who placed third in the Tour of Flanders, the best result of a French rider since the second place of Sylvain Chavanel in 2011. “Unfortunately, I lack a little bit of legs in Old Quaremont to follow the two (Pogacar and van der Poel), it really comes down to details. I tried a little too hard during the day“. At 25, the Frenchman obtained his best result for his third participation in the Tour of Flanders (14th in 2020, 39th in 2021): “This is the first time that I have managed to be at this level, and I hope to be able to be in the next few years. I only thought about following the wheels especially with Pogacar who was a step above physically, he was really very strong. It’s one of my best days of cycling even if there is no victory. I am beaten by stronger.
Read alsoCycling: in video, the beautiful 3rd place of Valentin Madouas on the Tour of Flanders
Amdouni erases the French marathon record in Paris
The nice double shot of Morhad Amdouni in Paris. By crossing the finish line after 2h05min22 sec of effort, the 2018 European champion in the 10,000m not only offered himself a podium behind the Ethiopians Deso Gelmisa and Seifu Tura, but above all greatly improved the French record held for 19 years by Benoît Zwierzchiewski (2h 6 min 36 sec). He was also congratulated for a long time by the latter, who came to meet him a few minutes after his arrival. “He is a complete, exceptional athlete. It’s always flattering to have an athlete like him breaking a record“, acknowledged the former marathon runner. Amdouni, who hadthe record in the lead, but also the podium“, according to him, had to cross a course “to say: hello I’m here». What to give him ideas for the future, knowing that he had a hard time resupplying himself at the end of the race, far from the episode of the Olympic marathon at the Tokyo Olympics where he overturned, involuntarily he assured, a full line of water bottles, which had caused controversy. «I think we can imagine him getting closer to the European record“added without hesitation”Benoit Z“, in reference to the best European mark (2 h 03 min 36 sec) established by the Belgian Bashir Abdi on October 24, 2021 in Rotterdam.
Read alsoParis Marathon: “You will have to count on me”, warns Amdouni
Mbappé, a five-star recital
Two goals, three assists. The account is good for Kylian Mbappé, brilliant in PSG’s 5-1 victory against FC Lorient, at the end of the 30th day of Ligue 1. Scorer, passer, detonator, engine of a Paris-SG that we had left morose – it’s a sweet understatement – in Monaco before the international break (3-0 defeat), “a senator gamewill say “KM”, and that we found more involved and applied on Sunday evening. This is the minimum you will say, and Mbappé would not contradict you. “As I said in Monaco, it is already important to respect ourselves“, he said after this feast against the Hakes. A performance that will not be enough to calm the discontent in the stands, it is still too soon after the Madrid debacle in C1, but after which we could only be blown away by the talent of this number 7 that the world is tearing up . “Right now, he’s the best player in the world. He knows how to do everything. It’s a chance to have him in Paris and for us, French, in the France team. Afterwards when we are adversaries, we are not happy that he is there“, slides Christophe Pélissier. Simply brilliant.
Read alsoMbappé still not decided on his future: “Possible that I stay at PSG? Yes of course”
FLOPS
Ben Arfa, already the end in Lille?
Did Hatem Ben Arfa’s adventure in Lille end already on Saturday evening after the draw between the northern club and Bordeaux (0-0)? The question deserves to be asked when the former French international was not present on Sunday for the scrubbing, an absence linked to a violent altercation having pitted him against his partner Tiago Djalo. Warned of his player’s bloodshed, Jocelyn Gourvennec, the coach of Losc, then tries to calm things down but according to Téléfoot, Ben Arfa would then have insulted him. Which leaves some doubt about the rest of his Lille career, even if the club has not (yet?) communicated on the subject…
Toulouse no longer knows how to travel
By losing the derby in Castres, 19-13, the French champion showed once again that he no longer knew how to win away from home in the Top 14. We must indeed go back to… October 2, 2021 to find traces of a success on the road (11-17 at the red lantern, Biarritz). Since then, the Toulouse have returned empty-handed from their nine trips, including the one in Catalan lands where Usap had spanked them (36-13). Worse still, during these nine losses, the Stade only pocketed two small defensive bonus points: in Clermont (16-13) and Pau (27-22). A problematic travel sickness as the crucial end-of-season meetings are announced.
Read alsoTop 14: Castres has the last word against Toulouse
Parisiennes open a boulevard in Lyon
The draw of Paris SG on Sunday in the derby against Paris FC (0-0) brings Olympique Lyonnais, winner at Guingamp (2-0), closer to the title in women’s D1 with four games remaining. At the end of the 18th day, the Lyonnaises (52 points) are five points ahead of their runners-up PSG (47 pts), the reigning French champions, unable to score a single goal in the third (41 pts) of the championship in Charléty. The partners of Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Kadidiatou Diani, happy to see their goalkeeper Barbora Votikova stop a penalty after three minutes, must now count on missteps from OL.
