Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365, published on Saturday November 16, 2024 at 10:59 a.m.
On the occasion of the BJK Cup play-off in Colombia this weekend, captain Julien Benneteau decided to line up Diane Parry and Clara Burel in singles on the first day.
If the French BJK Cup team wants to maintain its place in the elite of world women’s tennis next year, it must absolutely beat Colombia this weekend on the outdoor clay court of Bogota. Julien Benneteau’s Bleues, who can count on three players in the Top 100 (but not Caroline Garcia, who ended her season at the end of September) are favorites against the Colombians, who only have one, but who will be able to benefit from the support of their audience and who will undoubtedly be more accustomed to the playing conditions (weather, altitude, quality of the ground). For Saturday, devoted to the first two singles, Julien Benneteau decided to trust the two youngest in his group, Diane Parry and Clara Burel. From 4:00 p.m. (French time), the 22-year-old Francilienne, world n°50, will try to bring the first point to Les Bleues to the detriment of Emiliana Arango (180th), a 23-year-old player whom she has never faced before but who has just played a final in a Bolivian WTA 125 on clay.
Burel and Osorio know each other well
For the second match, Julien Benneteau preferred to field Clara Burel than Varvara Gracheva, although better ranked (66th against 74th). The 23-year-old Breton will challenge the Colombian n°1, Camila Osorio (22 years old, 63rd), who leads 2-1 in their confrontations. The Colombian notably won their duel on gravel in Madrid in 2023. A hell of a test for Clara Burel. Julien Benneteau justified his choices on the FFT website: “Diane is No. 1 in the rankings, over a full year, she is the most successful Frenchwoman. Furthermore, I think her game goes well against Arango , the Colombian n°2. Between Clara and Varvara, it is very close in terms of level of play. I found Clara very involved over the past ten days, she has gained strength throughout the training sessions. She knows Osorio well, they are the same age, played against each other in juniors… I know she really wants to face him.” The right recipe to lead 2-0 on Saturday night? Answer at the end of the day, two singles then a double will be on the program.
