Main Nue--Tournoi de Bidart (October 10, 12, 2019)

Tournoi de Bidart (1) (2) (October 10, 12) (Esku Pilota Open Tournament)

Note: This tournament was played on a mur-a gauche (left wall) fronton with a drop-in trinquet side and back dugout. This makes for a different strategic and tactical kind of Main Nue, one we also saw at Tournois d'Itassou (BLOG POST) last May, where Etcheverry-Ducassou defeated Ospital-Xala* (Yves Sallaberry) in the final.

Esku Pilota Roster

* Not on the Esku Pilota Roster at present.

Previous championships

2018 Final: Bielle-Cubiat 40 Elgart-Sanchez 32 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube condensed full match video)

Match article (Pilota Ttiki)

2017: P. Larralde-Bilbao 40 Waltary-Ducassou 18

Match article (Esku Pilota)

2016: P. Larralde-Guichandut 40 Ospital-Ducassou 32 (BLOG POST that covers the entire tournament, scores, article links, full match video of the Final

2019

October 12

FINAL

(#7)Waltary-(#4)Bilbao 40

(#3)Ospital-Xala (Yves Sallaberry)*22 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube condensed full match video)

Selected linescore (Esku Pilota and Pilota Ttiki)

(5 Waltary service aces) 10-0; 40-22

Partial scoring

Waltary 12 aces, 1 service fault; Bilbao -1; Ospital 3a, 1f

Match article (Esku Pilota)

Match article (Pilota Ttiki)

W-B, playing together for the first time this year, dominated from beginning to end, once again overpowering their opponents (their aggregate score in this tournament was 80-47). Waltary had 12 aces (30 for the tournament--his oppenents. P. Larralde and Ospital, #2 and 3 on the Esku Pilota ladder, scored 8 total) on what is essentially a mur-a-gauche (mano fronton), demonstrating that he remains the most lethal server in the game. Bilbao played an almost perfect game, showing excellent mobility on defense, as well as scoring some well aimed points. OZ had no chance. Ospital's 7 match winning streak came to an abrupt end.

October 10

Semi-Finals

(#3) Ospital-Xala (Yves Sallaberry)* 40

(#15) Etcheverry-(#1) Ducassou 25 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube condensed full match video)

Selected linescore (Pilota Ttiki) (winners always listed 1st)

11-5; 16-9; 22-16; 40-22

(#7) Waltary-(#4) Bilbao 40

(#2) P. Larralde-(#24) B. Larralde 25 (Pilota Ttiki Youtube condensed full match video)

Selected linescore (Esku Pilota and Pilota Ttiki) (winnrs always listed 1st)

13-4; 20-13; 29-13; 30-14; 37-14; (Waltary service fault) 37-25; (P.Larralde service fault) 40-25

Partial scoring (Pilota Ttiki)

Waltary 18 service aces; P. Larralde 5

Match article for both matches (Esku Pilota)

Match article for both matches (Pilota Ttiki)

The 1st match was dominated by big runs, but they came after W-B had established a 7 point lead at the half-way point. Then followed rapidly a 17-1 W-B run followed by an 11 point B-B run that began with an innocuous Waltary service fault. P. Larralde returned the favor at 37-25, allowing W-B to quickly finish the match. B. Larralde played much of the match with a sore back. The match articles lauded the play of Bixintxo Bilbao. Later Xala said of Waltary:

"Waltary, je l’ai trouvé très frais, très violent, il a mis beaucoup de buts."

Loose Google translation

"Waltary, I found him very cool, very violent, he made a lot of aces"

O-X won the rematch of the Tournois d'Itassou (see link above) Final by jumping out to an early lead and then dominating the 2nd half of the match (18-6), easily advancing to the Final.