CHARTRES - Willy Gérimont, the French number one in the classical disciplines, won his third of three tournaments this weekend and consolidated his dominance over the French competition. In Chartres, the Frenchman won the one-cushion final against his teammate Xavier Le Roy, 120-80 in 11 innings.
Last season in Douai, during the season opener in one-cushion, Willy Gérimont defeated the same Xavier Le Roy 120-90 in 10 innings in the semifinals and then Johann Petit 120-81 in 11 innings in the final. This year, he repeated his success with a victory over his teammate. After victories in Nice and Saint-Pierre-des-Corps at the start of the season, Gérimont now competed in his 22nd national tournament of his career.
His qualifying group was tough, featuring local players Pascal Dessaint and Louis Edelin. Without reaching his full potential, Gérimont still managed to outplay his two opponents: 100-59 in 17 innings against Edelin and 100-38 in 19 innings against Dessaint. As the last of the group winners in terms of average (5.55) and undefeated, he then qualified sixth of the eight for the final.
In the quarterfinals against his teammate Johann Girard of Chartres, the scenario of the main tournament was repeated with a resounding 120-48 in 15 innings. In the semifinals against Grégory Le Deventec, Gérimont made the difference in the second half, winning 120-75 in 17 innings. Finally, Willy Gérimont played his best match in the final against Xavier Le Roy: 120-80 in 11 innings.
Willy Gérimont's losses are steadily decreasing, and each match makes him the big favorite. He finished this tournament with an overall average of 7.08.