2026 French Pickleball Championships: prize lists and results in Aix
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The first French Pickleball Championships: a page of history is being written in Aix-en-Provence
From July 10 to 12, 2026, the FFT awards the very first official national titles
Just a few months after obtaining thepickleball delegationwith the Ministry of Sports, the French Tennis Federation takes a symbolic step: the organization offirst French Pickleball Championships. OfJuly 10 to 12, 2026, THECenter of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur League, At1175 chemin des Cruyes in Aix-en-Provence, hosts the most anticipated event of the French season.
Co-organized by the FFT and the PACA League, this classified tournamentK500brings together the best French players, selected on the basis ofFFT ranking of May 2026. Unlike the French Open - more open, more festive, with an international dimension - the French Championships are reserved for the highest ranked nationals. The issue is clear: register your name onfirst official listof the discipline in France.
Entrance is free for the public. Twenty-one courts were deployed on the league site, transformed into a giant pickleball center, as during the Summer Open three weeks earlier. On the program:17 categories,181 competitorsand a thousand matches spread over three days.
The official program of the three days
Singles, doubles and mixed according to a precise schedule
The FFT has structured the Championships on the model of the other sports it supervises: a demanding competition, limited tables, selection by rank (single) or by pair weight (double).
- Friday July 10- Ladies' singles & men's singles (Seniors +19 years and +50 years)
- Saturday July 11- Women's doubles & men's doubles (Seniors +19 years and +50 years)
- Sunday July 12- Mixed doubles (Seniors +19 years and +50 years)
Threegame levelsare represented in each table:
- 3.0- first-time competitor level
- 4.0- intermediate level
- 5.0- elite level
The group stages and the matches before the final are played in a formatK2(1 set of 15 points with a difference of 2). The finals are played in formatK1(2 winning sets of 11 points with a difference of 2). The official balls areWilson Max 40(yellow/green).
Key figures from this first edition
An organization honed by the experience of the PACA League
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Dates | July 10, 11 and 12, 2026 |
| Place | Center of the PACA League, Aix-en-Provence (13) |
| Organizers | FFT + Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur League |
| Approval | K500 |
| Land | 21 (including covered for categories +50) |
| Categories | 17 national titles to be awarded |
| Competitors | 181 players |
| Times (Friday) | 2 p.m. - 9 p.m. |
| Public entrance | Free |
Daniel Courcol, deputy director of the FFT, and Florian Lecerf, manager of the pickleball department, underlined the historic nature of the event. Christophe Demoisson, president of the PACA League - home of pickleball in France via the Var Committee - recalled the driving role of his league in the development of the discipline. From 2027, acall for applicationswill be launched to choose the site of the next Championships.
Complete prize list by category
Official results - complete list of winners from July 12, 2026
The results below combine theofficial report from the FFT(singles from Friday July 10) and the finals reassembled onPickleDeck, approved tournament platform (doubles on Saturday July 11 and mixed on Sunday July 12).
17 categorieswere officially contested during this first edition. Contrary to the theoretical regulations which provide for up to 18 combinations per event, only the tables having brought together enough qualified participants were activated. The list is nowcomplete: 17 titles out of 17assigned.
Legend: 🥇 Champion · 🥈 Finalist
Friday July 10 - Men's Singles
| Category | 🥇 Champion | 🥈 Finalist | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Singles 5.0 - Senior (+19) | Emilien Burnel | Cyril Peltier | 11-0, 11-13, 11-3 | ✅ Official |
| Men's Singles 4.0 - Senior (+19) | Benjamin Racine | Romain Cassard | 6-11, 11-9, 11-4 | ✅ Official |
| Men's Singles 3.0 - Senior (+19) | Killian Seguela | David Maingaud | 11-3, 11-2 | ✅ Official |
| Singles Gentlemen 5.0 - +50 years | Thierry Dausse | Olivier Dupont | 5-11, 11-4, 11-2 | ✅ Official |
| Singles Gentlemen 3.0 - +50 years | Michael Stephan | Frédéric Gaumain | 11-4, 11-7 | ✅ Official |
Friday July 10 - Women’s Singles
| Category | 🥇 Champion | 🥈 Finalist | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ladies Singles 5.0 - Senior (+19) | Laura Rocchi | Valentine Vernaz | 11-8, 3-11, 11-8 | ✅ Official |
| Ladies Singles 3.0 - +50 years | Caroline Stock | Karina Zaluski | 12-10, 11-5 | ✅ Official |
Note: only two categories in women's singles were contested (5.0 senior and 3.0 +50), due to a lack of qualified participants in the other levels.
Saturday July 11 - Men's Doubles
| Category | 🥇 Champions | 🥈 Finalists | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Doubles 5.0 - Senior (+19) | Émilien Burnel / Thomas Provost | Julien Platel / Théo Platel | 11-8, 11-2 | ✅ Official |
| Men's Doubles 4.0 - Senior (+19) | Sébastien Peignot / Titouan Poncin | Guillaume Sodano / Aurélien Godderis | 11-4, 11-6 | ✅ Official |
| Men's Doubles 3.0 - Senior (+19) | Jean-Baptiste Pecoul / Jérôme Pecoul | Alban Brée / Toan Malgor Mainguené | 11-4, 6-11, 11-8 | ✅ Official |
| Men's Doubles 5.0 - +50 years | Thibault Collignon / Anthony Andreux | Pascal Thouvenin / Thierry Dausse | 11-8, 3-11, 11-6 | ✅ Official |
Saturday July 11 - Women's Doubles
| Category | 🥇 Champions | 🥈 Finalists | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Doubles 5.0 - Senior (+19) | Clara Contis / Mathilde Sarcelet | Valentine Vernaz / Anne Loriot | 11-4, 7-11, 11-8 | ✅ Official |
| Double Ladies 5.0 - +50 years | Hong Duyen Nguyen / Stéphanie Lefebvre | Carine Delpeyroux / Eugénie Demouy Zeylstra | 11-1, 11-3 | ✅ Official |
Note: only two categories in women's doubles were contested (5.0 senior and 5.0 +50).
Sunday July 12 - Mixed Doubles
| Category | 🥇 Champions | 🥈 Finalists | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed Doubles 5.0 - Senior (+19) | Emilien Burnel / Mathilde Sarcelet | Clara Contis / Théo Platel | 11-3, 11-7 | ✅ Official |
| Mixed Doubles 3.0 - Senior (+19) | Clémentine Berrod-Pache / Nolan Chouteau | Florent Nardin / Marianne Chatelain Bardey | 11-4, 11-1 | ✅ Official |
| Mixed Doubles 5.0 - +50 years | Stéphanie Lefebvre / Thierry Dausse | Hong Duyen Nguyen / Anthony Andreux | 11-5, 9-11, 11-3 | ✅ Official |
| Mixed Doubles 4.0 - +50 years | Denis Dupin / Catherine Barbe | Maud Tognet Mousset / Alain Mousset | 12-10, 12-10 | ✅ Official |
Note: four mixed doubles categories were contested (no mixed 4.0 senior nor 3.0 +50 this year).
Highlights of the mixed finals
Sunday July 12 completes the list with four coronations
Burnel / Sarcelet: the historic elite treble
After his titles in men's singles and doubles,Emilien Burnelcompletes an exceptional weekend in mixed 5.0 alongsideMathilde Sarcelet. The pair dominatedClara ContisAndThéo Platel(11-3, 11-7), offering Burnel aunprecedented hat-trickduring these first French Championships.
Dausse and Lefebvre: revenge in +50 years
Thierry Dausse, beaten the day before in men's doubles +50, offers himself a nice revenge in mixed alongsideStéphanie Lefebvreagainst Hong Duyen Nguyen and Anthony Andreux (11-5, 9-11, 11-3).
Highlights of the doubles finals
Saturday July 11 crowns six new champions
Burnel and Provost in men’s 5.0: a double for Émilien
The day before was crowned in men's singles 5.0,Emilien Burnelrecurrence in duplicate alongsideThomas Provost. The pair dominated the brothersJulien and Théo Platelin the final (11-8, 11-2), confirming the duo's supremacy over the weekend.
Contis and Sarcelet: the title in elite women’s doubles
Clara ContisAndMathilde Sarceletwon the first national final in women's doubles 5.0 againstValentine VernazAndAnne Loriot(11-4, 7-11, 11-8). Vernaz, finalist the day before in singles, completes an intense weekend with two finals.
The Pecoul brothers and the Collignon-Andreux veterans
In 3.0 gentlemen,Jean-Baptiste and Jérôme Pecoulbeat Alban Brée and Toan Malgor Mainguené (11-4, 6-11, 11-8). Among those over 50,Thibault CollignonAndAnthony Andreuxoverthrew Pascal Thouvenin and Thierry Dausse (11-8, 3-11, 11-6), depriving Dausse of the double after his singles title the day before.
Highlights of the singles finals
Undecided finals and historic coronations
Émilien Burnel - first French men's champion 5.0
Installed atMissouri(United States), Émilien Burnel made the trip to claim the most prestigious title of the weekend. In the final againstCyril Peltier, he delivered an up-and-down match: a first blank set (11-0), resistance from Peltier in the second (11-13), then a clear conclusion (11-3). Burnel thus becomes thefirst French pickleball champion in elite men’s singles.
Laura Rocchi - from junior French Open to national pickleball
Laura Rocchireturns to national coronations: she had already beenFrench tennis champion 17-18 years old in 2003. Twenty-three years later, she writes a new page in her list of achievements by beatingValentine Vernaz(11-8, 3-11, 11-8) to become thefirst French pickleball champion in elite ladies’ singles. A trajectory which illustrates the growing porosity between racket sports under the aegis of the FFT.
Benjamin Racine and Killian Seguela - the first 4.0 and 3.0 titles
Among the senior men,Benjamin RacineoverturnedRomain Cassard(6-11, 11-9, 11-4) in 4.0, whileKillian SegueladominatedDavid Maingaud(11-3, 11-2) in 3.0. These victories mark the anchoring of the intermediate and first-time competitor levels in the first national rankings.
Veterans at the rendezvous
In category+50 years,Thierry Dausse(5.0) overthrew Olivier Dupont (5-11, 11-4, 11-2),Caroline Stock(3.0 ladies) beat Karina Zaluski (12-10, 11-5), andMichael Stephan(3.0 men) won against Frédéric Gaumain (11-4, 11-7). The league's indoor grounds made it possible to display these tables despite the Provençal heat.
French Championships vs French Open: understanding the difference
Two complementary events, two distinct logics
The PACA League had already hosted thethree editions of the French Open(2024, 2025 and 2026). The French Championships follow a different logic:
| Criteria | French Open | French Championships |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Open (FFT licensees) | Ranking Selection/Pair Weight |
| Dimension | International, festive | National, elitist |
| Stake | Big summer tournament | Official national titles |
| Workforce | 350+ competitors, ~1000 matches | 181 competitors, 17 categories |
| Wild cards | Possible (PPA, APP, RTA, DUPR) | On written request, 6 weeks before |
To explore this divide in more depth, see our articleFrench Open vs French FFT Championships.
An issue beyond the title: the World Cup and the French team
The Championships as a dress rehearsal before Vietnam
These first French Championships are not just an isolated event. They serve asreviewbefore the announcement of the selection for thePickleball World Cup, who will compete atVietnam from August 30 to September 6, 2026. The preselected players will leave for training the Monday following the competition, supervised by the captainsCaroline DheninAndMylène Hernja.
Florian Lecerf, also responsible for high level at the FFT, specified that the Championships allow “to make final choices and to test the doubles pairs”. The results of Saturday (doubles) and Sunday (mixed) will therefore be closely scrutinized by the federal staff.
What these Championships change for French clubs
From the sports festival to national structuring
With more than42,000 practitioners, next to5,000 licenseesand more than900 structuresoffering pickleball, France is entering a phase of maturation. The French Championships materialize this evolution: official titles, selection in the ranking, structured federal calendar.
From the 2027 edition, the FFT plansleague championshipsfor categories 3.0 and 4.0, widening the path to the national title. For clubs that want to accommodate this level of requirement, the technical criteria (dimensions, covering, lines, nets) are detailed in our guideFFT standards for a pickleball courtand on the pagecompetition pickleball court.
To situate this event in the economic and sporting dynamics of the country, the filepickleball market France 2026provides useful numerical benchmarks for project leaders and club presidents.
Conclusion: a first edition that goes down in history
The first 17 French champions are known
The first French Pickleball Championships confirm the federal ambition: to structure a discipline in full explosion, designate recognized champions and prepare the French team before the World Cup.Emilien Burnelestablished himself as the figure of the weekend with a historic triple (singles, doubles and mixed men 5.0), alongsideLaura Rocchiin elite women's singles.
From Friday to Sunday, 17 national titles were awarded in Aix-en-Provence. The federal staff, with Caroline Dhenin and Mylène Hernja, will now have a complete overview to finalize the selection of the France team before the World Cup in Vietnam.
Sources:FFT - The first French pickleball champions crowned in Aix-en-Provence,FFT - Presentation of the 2026 Championships,PickleDeck - Live Scores, official FFT registration file.
