Article Tennis Info #568 March 2025

TIM ESSONNE

Pagonis and Bernstein win the 40th edition

Greek Rafael Pagonis and Swedish Grace Bernstein won the 40th edition of the renowned Essonne tournament (February 17-23) for players aged 14 and under. Frenchman Igor Brania, a member of CS Marne, reached the semi-finals.

A French event, a Greek winner, a Swedish champion... The entire geography of Europe, from North to South, shone brightly at the 40th edition of the TIM Essonne (Grade 1 Tennis Europe), held in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois. Since its inception in 1983, the tournament in the Île-de-France region has remained a benchmark on the Tennis Europe circuit. In the women's draw, Sweden's Grace Bernstein (ranked 57th in the Tennis Europe rankings) won the singles trophy, after defeating Belgium's Hannelore Daniels in the final (6-4, 6-0). In the men's draw, victory went to Rafael Pagonis (ranked 2nd in Tennis Europe and the tournament's top seed). The Greek player prevailed over Austria's Moritz Freitag in two sets (6-2, 7-6).

“Pagonis is very consistent and serious, both in training and in matches ,” analyzed Barbara Langlois, director of the Essonne committee, who was in charge of the tournament for the first time. “He’s already envisioning himself as a professional. It’s amusing because all his matches have had the same pattern, with quick first sets and very close second sets. As for the Swede, she’s quite remarkable. She’s a tenacious and committed player with a remarkable mental strength.”

"The competition took place in a great atmosphere, with good play, great finals and a large crowd."

On the other hand, there were no sparks among the French - Mario Vukovic and Evan Giurescu, who had just won the Winter Cup, were not present - but some notable results: Igor Brania had a good run and reached the semi-finals while Charlotte Hacquard reached the quarter-finals.

The director emphasized the very high overall level of play: “It was truly a wonderful edition. The young people were delightful, the competition unfolded in a fantastic atmosphere, with excellent play, exciting finals, and a large crowd. The presence of Pauline Parmentier, the patron of this 40th edition, was greatly appreciated. Our mascot was also a huge hit; everyone wanted their picture taken with it. And above all, we are fortunate to have a top-notch team of volunteers.”