All meetings
Just one month ago, Judo Nice Métropole faced Stade Bordelais in the quarterfinals to join RSC Montreuil, Arts Martiaux Saint-Gratien, and AC Boulogne-Billancourt among the qualifiers for the Final Four on May 16th. These four teams have not yet been defeated this season and will fiercely defend their chances at the Dojo de Paris.
The leader of the playoffs with twenty-nine wins in four matches, RSC Montreuil was the first to secure its ticket to the Final Four, dominating Essonne's Sainte-Geneviève Sports at home. Sainte-Geneviève Sports was the eighth and last qualifier for this decisive event. The confrontation, uncertain for a time, turned in favor of Montreuil starting from the seventh bout with Mattéo Giordano's sublime sweep over Gabon's Fernand Nkero. A 6-4 victory was ultimately well-controlled by a team strengthened for the occasion by three Spanish women and one Bosnian, who continues to discover the Judo Pro League with a smile.
Nice, the Final Four expert
In Enemie, the Seine-Saint-Denis team will face Judo Nice Métropole, the winners of the competition in 2024. Less dominant in the qualifiers than in previous seasons, the Côte d'Azur team raised their game at the best moment to easily defeat Stade Bordelais (7-3) in front of their home crowd. For their fourth consecutive appearance in the Final Four, they will obviously need to be watched, as will their ability to perform on the day with a strong squad in all categories.
Saint-Gratien Sudden Death
The quarterfinal match between Arts Martiaux Saint-Gratien and the Juniville-Marnaval Grand Est team in early March will go down as one of the most undecided contests in the history of the competition launched by France Judo in 2022. 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4… and even 5-5 after ten fights thanks to the final equalizer from Cuban Andy Granda, the 2022 world champion, against triple national senior medalist Khamzat Saparbaev. The roulette wheel then came into play to select the two athletes called back to the mat, namely the -73kg fighters Zackaria Belfouel and Tanguy Gérard. Easily victorious in their first encounter, the former repeated the feat with an impeccable left-sided seoi-nage that secured victory for the Val-d'Oise team.
ACBB with authority
They will need strong nerves again in the second semi-final of the Final Four if they want to overcome AC Boulogne-Billancourt, who have made their Souriau gym an impregnable fortress this year. They won 5-0 in the opening match against the defending champions from Orléans and 8-1 without flinching against Dojo Nantais, before inflicting a brutal 9-1 defeat on the Essonniens from FLAM 91 in the quarterfinals. What will happen on May 16th, six kilometers to the east, at the Dojo de Paris? A breathless duel that will also be fought in the stands, in an arena that will undoubtedly be packed to witness the final showdown between the three newly promoted Parisian teams and the seasoned Nice team. Four teams ready to do anything to reach the top of the rankings in this intense fourth season.
