Sarah Vigrass has won her first French Open doubles title, partnering her sister, Claire Fahey, to a straightforward victory in the final in Paris on Sunday. Meanwhile, Camden Riviere and John Lumley have taken their fourth French Open together, after winning their final in straight sets.
The women’s doubles final paired the sisters Claire Fahey and Sarah Vigrass against the Aiken duo of Kadi Melrdum and Claire Voegele. Fahey played up at the galleries, a rare position for her in either women’s or open play. She was called into action early, as Meldrum and Voegele were at full stretch retriving balls from Vigrass, putting it back onto the service wall above the penthouse for Fahey to sweep up. Meldrum and Voegele took the third game of the match with a force at the dedans that Fahey called to Vigrass to leave. After then, Fahey and Vigrass were composed and diligent. Both of them, especially Vigrass, were sending down tight railroads, making life difficult for their opponents. From the hazard end, they kept the ball tight against the main wall, giving Voegele tough balls to play on her forehand. The sisters didn’t lose another game, wrapping up the match in little over half an hour. It marked Sarah Vigrass’s first French Open doubles title, while Claire Fahey has now won the French Open doubles with nine different opponents.
The men’s doubles final saw battle between two pairs that had both won multiple French Opens together. Former World Champions Robert Fahey and Steve Virgona rejoined forces for just the second time since losing their title in 2015. They faced the top two ranked doubles players in the world, Camden Riviere and John Lumley. Fahey opted to receive from Riviere, keeping the right-hand to left-hand service combination that would persist through the whole match. Fahey and Virgona set up with Fahey at the back, while Riviere and Lumley played server-up. From the start, Fahey’s volley defence were being tested as Riviere and Lumley put ball after ball on target for the dedans. The match cruised along at a leisurely pace until the fourth game, when suddenly Riviere stepped up to another level. The other three players were forced to respond, resulting in some rallies of world class doubles quality. The first seeds had a two-game lead, which they managed to hold on to for the rest of the set owing to Lumley’s tight railroad serves restricting Virgona from turning on the ball. Riviere and Lumley took the first set comfortably.
At the start of the second set, Fahey and Virgona tested out the combination with Virgona at the back. Though they won the first game, they soon abandoned it. Riviere and Lumley took advantage, making few mistakes and continuing to give Fahey’s volley a thorough going-over. The set was notable for the sheer number of balls falling flush against the back wall off the penthouse, making several unreturnable. It was an affliction that bit all four players at various points. Lumley and Riviere combined masterfully, mixing up the faster paced forces with slower paced volleys as they cruised through the set, winning six straight games. The third set was a carbon copy of the second, with Fahey and Virgona winning only the first game. Fahey lashed a few forces, but Riviere and Lumley were never really troubled. Their victory was their fourth French Open as a pair, and their first as a pair for any Open since 2022.
The tour next moves to Aiken for the IRTPA Players’ Championship in late October.
Match results:
1:30 PM: Claire Fahey & Sarah Vigrass (1) def Kadi Meldrum & Claire Voegele 6/1 6/0
3:00 PM: Camden Riviere & John Lumley (1) def Robert Fahey & Steve Virgona 6/3 6/1 6/1