In front of their home crowd, RSC Montreuil, leaders at the end of the elimination phase, showed patience to win at the expense of Sainte-Geneviève Sports (6-4). The newly-promoted Seine-Saint-Denis outfit will now take part in the Judo Pro League Final Four in May. 

 

 

There was a hint of revenge in the air as Nacer Dahli's protégés took on Sainte-Geneviève Sports. A year earlier, it was against the Essonnians that the Montreuillois, then associated with OM Judo, had come to a halt at this same level of competition, despite winning the first three bouts (4-4, 32-31 for Sainte-Geneviève Sports). 

 

This year, it was the Génovéfains who got off to the best possible start, perfectly launched by Amadou Meité (+90kg), a regular at the Paris Grand Slam earlier this month. After a three-minute duel with Mohamed Montassar Rouahi, the winner of the last Deaflympics skilfully countered with a shoulder-knee movement, before managing the end of the fight with kumikata. The Spaniard Mireia Lapuerta Comas (-52kg), who was imperious in this area against Cloé Riboulon, then won by two waza-ari, for her fifth victory this year in the Judo Pro league, bringing Montreuil level.  

 

A scenario that takes time to unfold 

 

 

The chase continued with Adrien Hubert (-66kg), fifth at the last Visé Open, winning by a yuko from national -60kg medalist Louis Pestelard, before Malin Wilson's remarkable o-uchi-gari, inflicted on Lucinda Granata by the Scotswoman, naturalized Spanish since 2024. Before the break, Montreuil even took the lead - for the first time in the match - when Lionel Bebey (-73kg) came back from a yuko deficit against Quentin Racine with two waza-ari scored on an ippon-seoi-nage followed by an immobilization on the floor. Third a week ago at the European Open in Slovenia, Ariela Franchel Sanchez Benitez, RSCM's third Spaniard, came up against Maryline Louis-Sidney, just off the podium at the last French senior championships. Despite being a good ten centimetres taller than her opponent, the native of the Dominican Republic was unable to shake the Frenchwoman, who proved lucid and efficient, hitting her opponent three times to keep up the suspense in this quarter-final. 

 

Captain Giordano launches final assault 

In the seventh bout, two holders of the last Paris Grand Slam met in the -81kg category: Gabonese Fernand Nkero - African junior champion in 2022 and 2023 - on the Genovese side, and French Mattéo Giordano - ranked but not medallist at the last two French championships - on the Montreuil side. An intense duel which the latter ended up winning with a magnificent sweep. The step was then too high for the very young Mélissa Legré (-70kg), Essonne junior champion then finalist in the senior category last January, against Bosnian Aleksandra Samardzic, ranked 37th in the world and qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris. A first o-soto-gari unlocked her counter by a yuko, before she managed to close the deal with a ne-waza. This allowed Montreuil to escape with two wins and enough points to avoid being caught. Lucas Duchaussoy (-90kg), who had won gold at the Label Excellence tournaments in Noisy-le-Grand and Lormont at the end of last year, made a point of winning his point with a remarkable groundwork that left Charly Landau helpless. Samah Hawa Camara's (+70kg) setback against Paris Grand Slam 2026 bronze medallist Léa Fontaine was anecdotal, as the referee declared Montreuil victorious at the final whistle.
 

The first ticket to the Final Four thus falls into the lap of the promoters from the Paris region, while the other three quarter-finals, starting with the one on Tuesday February 24 between AC Boulogne-Billancourt and FLAM 91, will also pit three novices against three Judo Pro League regulars.