The Players:
Player profiles at Esku Pilota
Group A: Peio Larralde (front); Matthieu Ospital (front); Baptiste Ducassou (back); Bixinto Bilbao (back); Augusti Waltery (front); Ximun Lambert (back); Peio Guichandut (back); Vincent Elgart (front); Julien Etchegary (front); Ion Iturbe (back); and Anton Monce (front)
Last year's finalists: Larralde and Ospital have been directly seeded into the League phase (1st and 2nd seeds)
Group B: Pascal de Ezcurra (back); Laurent Lambert (front); Alexis Inchauspe (front); Mickael Palomes (back); Gregory Aguirre (front); Cedric Lucu (back); Bixente (Vincent) Cubiat (back); Mattin Olcomendy (front); Mickael Darmendrail (front)
de Ezcurra and Lambert have been directly seeded into the League phase (1st and 2nd seeds)
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Previous Championships:
Complete coverage of the 2018 Championship was provided by FFPB:
Results
Brief Match Articles and Photos
More detailed articles and selected match videos were provided by Pilota Ttiki. When videos are available they are linked at the bottom of the article.
Beginning January 9 and "suivant" at the bottom of the article until you reach other tournament articles. The tournament ended on February 25 (A) and February 27 (B) (Note that not all articles you will link to are articles about this tournament).
Twenty 2018 FFPB Championnat de France Elite Pro condensed full match videos are available via Pilota Ttiki Youtube. Scroll to or find "Championnat Individuel" or "Liguilla" (without the quotes).
Finals:
Group A: Larralde 40 Ospital 18
Match article and link to full match video
Group B: Iturbe 40 L. Lambert 27
Match article and link to full match video
2017 Tournament complete coverage (match articles and available videos)
Finals:
Group A: Ducassou 40 Ospital 27
Group B: Etchegaray 40 Elgart 21
2016 Full Tournament Results: Final: Larralde 40 Ducassou 22
2015 Full Tournament Results: Final Ducassou 40 Larralde 21 (pelotelive.free.fr)
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Play in Round (January 4-7, 2019) Qualification Round Seeded Matches (January 12-14); January 19; January 26
Liguilla: February 2; February 3; February 9; February 11; February 15, February 17
Finals: February 25--Group B; March 3--Group A
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Liguilla Round 2
Note: All match videos, unless otherwise specifically stated, are condensed full match videos (usually between 15 and 40 minutes).
Injury report: Bixento Bilbao had to forfeit his match to Mathieu Ospital (27-22--see below) due to a shoulder injury which will put him out of the rest of the competition. (Pilota Ttiki)
February 11, 2019
Group A
Ducassou (#3) (back) (1-0 +3) 40 Larralde (#1) (front) (1-1 +9) 37 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube)
Info Garazi Youtube (a good "feel" for the game, not all points, but a different, subjective view
Info Garazi Youtube (a good "feel" for the game, not all points, but a different, subjective view
Selected linescore (winner always listed first)
6-6; 6-14; 14-14; 18-24; 20-30; 21-33; 27-33; 31-36; 36-36; 40-37
Group A: Front 3-3 Back 3-3
This was the marquee match of the Championship so far. What looked like a packed trinquet watched an intense match between, arguably, the best back court and front court players in the modality. Both players used the entire court, endlessly sprinting back and forth to save points. Their shot making abilities are well known and neither disappointed in that department. By my count Ducassou had 15 direct points, including the winning point (10 in the side mesh, and 5 in the back dugout, 2 in the side from behind his opponent). Larralde had 9 (3 in the back). But that isn't the only way to score. Larralde had several brilliant front bevel caroms and passing shots. On the 39-36 point, he actually did a one leg right wall climb (a la Jai Alai) to save a point from deep in the back. Ducassou was his usual relentless self, battling back from 6-14 and 21-33 (a 19-4 run...19-4 against Larralde!). He has amazing power from the deep moving away off the back foot, and kept many points going that way. Larralde is quicker than anyone I have seen and can move from the back of the court to the front in a flash. As he always does, he retrieved balls on the full sprint (at times diving) that seemed impossible. In short, if you want to see Main Nue played at its zenith, watch this match. I, for one, would love to see a rematch on March 3 in the Final. Of course, Matthieu Ospital will have something to say about that.
Group B
Inchauspe (#3) (front) (1-1 -3) 40 de Ezcurra (#1) (front) (1-1 -8) 28 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube)
Selected linescore (winner always listed first)
0-5; 1-12; 16-16; 19-19; 20-20; 21-21; 22-22; 26-26; 40-28
Say one thing about Inchauspe. He is nothing if not resilient. After being badly beaten by L. Lambert in Round 1, he began this match down 12-1. At that point he could have folded up his tent and started plans for his next tournament. But that isn't what happened. In the first 13 points de Ezcurra played extremely well, terminating points early with great shot making. But Inchauspe fought and slowly clawed his way back into the match. A 15-4 run got him to the first of at least 6 equalities in the match. At 26-26, the old veteran ran out of fuel, and Inchauspe won going away. Both players are now 1-1. Whoever wins in the 3rd Round goes to the Final.
February 9, 2019
Group A:
Ospital (#2) (front) (1-0 +5(?)) 27 Bilbao (#4) (back) (0-2 -17(?) 22 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube). Bilbao forfeited the match and is out for the rest of the competition. It is unknown whether point differentials are correct.
Selected linescore (winners always listed first):
15-5; 15-19; 19-19; 27-22
Group A: Front 3-2; Back 2-3
This was shaping up to be a very interesting match when Bilbao had to retire with a shoulder injury that will end his participation in this Championship. The match began with a big run by both players, and Ospital was in the midst of another run when it ended. Ospital has two matches left, against Larralde and Ducassou, so his fate is in his own hands. If he beats them he is in the final. Easier said than done.
This was shaping up to be a very interesting match when Bilbao had to retire with a shoulder injury that will end his participation in this Championship. The match began with a big run by both players, and Ospital was in the midst of another run when it ended. Ospital has two matches left, against Larralde and Ducassou, so his fate is in his own hands. If he beats them he is in the final. Easier said than done.
Group B:
Palomes (#4) (back) (1-1 -3) 40 L. Lambert (#1) (front) (1-1 +14) 39 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube)
Partial linescore (winner always listed first):
20-20; 35-35; 35-38; 39-39; 40-39
Group B: Back 2-1; Front 1-2
Match article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)
Match article for both matches (FFPB)
This was an exciting match, hard fought throughout. Watching Palomes' serves brings back memories of Iker Irribarria when he first burst on the Mano scene in 2016. Palomes' high deep booming serves are a wonder to watch. The pelota says "Meet Mikael's hand, see the Basque Country." In a match he had to win, Palomes came back from 35-38 and stay alive in the hunt for a berth in the Final. The winning point came on a serve so high and deep that it might never come down. But it did, smashing down on the back dugout roof and rebounding far past Lambert. The win leaves both these players at 1-1 in the Liguilla phase. The Round 3 winner advances to the final.
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Match article for both matches (FFPB)
This was an exciting match, hard fought throughout. Watching Palomes' serves brings back memories of Iker Irribarria when he first burst on the Mano scene in 2016. Palomes' high deep booming serves are a wonder to watch. The pelota says "Meet Mikael's hand, see the Basque Country." In a match he had to win, Palomes came back from 35-38 and stay alive in the hunt for a berth in the Final. The winning point came on a serve so high and deep that it might never come down. But it did, smashing down on the back dugout roof and rebounding far past Lambert. The win leaves both these players at 1-1 in the Liguilla phase. The Round 3 winner advances to the final.
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Liguilla Round 3 upcoming matches
February 15:
Hasparren
Group A: Larralde (#1) (front (1-1- +9) v Ospital (#2) (front) (1-0 (+5?))
Group B: de Ezcurra (#1) (front) (1-1 -8) v L. Lambert (#2) (front) (1-1 +14)
February 17
Trinquet Moderne, Baiona (Bayonne)
Group A: Ducassou (#3) (back) (1-0 +3) will not play v Bilbao (#4) (back) (0-2 -17(?)) or a substitute. Instead there will be an "amicale": Etchegaray-X. Lambert v Monce-Iturbe. It is unknown whether Ducassou will be credited with a victory over Bilbao or not
Group B: Inchauspe (#3) (front) (1-1 -3) v Palomes (#4) (back) (1-1 -3)
