ERKIAGA-ZABALA WIN THE ALL STAR
May 5, 2023 | News |
Erkiaga-Zabala win the All Star
ARITZ ERKIAGA AND JON ZABALA BEAT IÑAKI GOIKOETXEA AND THÉO LABORDE (SUBSTITUTE FOR TXABI INZA) IN THE CESTA ALL STAR FINAL, IN FRONT OF A LARGE CROWD.
The second edition of the Cesta All Star ended this Thursday evening, at jai alai in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. An end to the tournament marred by the injury of Txabi Inza during the warm-up, a few minutes from playing the final. While he was exchanging a few balls with his companions on the kantxa, he suffered a bone tear. “I don't understand what happened. I felt the crack, Jon Zabala even heard it. I stepped on the malleolus. (I think he broke his ankle on the inside part of the foot) It's a nightmare ,” he says.
With Txabi Inza injured, the organization decided to replace him with one of the discipline's young hopefuls: Théo Laborde. Thrown into the bath of the elite, he played his card thoroughly, well supported by Iñaki Goikoetxea who took the start of the game on his own. Witness the first point won thanks to an effective cortada from the Spaniard. “We started pretty well, I didn't feel too apprehensive. It's going much faster than what I usually know even though I've played with them before. In the second run, it was complicated. Overall I'm pretty happy, ” said the Luzien (Laborde).
He does not have to be ashamed of his performance. In the first round, Goikoetxea-Laborde held off their opponents. “Theo did well. At the start of the game, I didn't manage to avoid Goikoetxea, we left him with too many easy balls” , commented Jon Zabala. Neck and neck at the end of the set (10-10; 11-11; 12-12), Aritz Erkiaga made the difference on the last points to pocket the set 15-12.
In the second round, Goikoetxea-Laborde struggled to keep up the pace they had at the start of the game and took the hit. While their opponents seemed much more efficient, as confirmed by Jon Zabala: "In the second round, I felt much better, even if a few balls escaped us due to overconfidence" . From the start of the round, Erkiaga-Zabala widened the gap (3-0; 9-3) to fly away to victory 15-7.
The Spaniards had a faultless tournament with 100% wins, including in the group stage where they finished first in their group. The public was there for this second edition (about 1000 spectators) which attracted even more people this year.
In parallel with the men's tournament was organized a tournament for women. The final pitted Sorozabal-Lejardi against Arakistain-Laugié. After a balanced start to the game (4-4; 6-5), Sorozabal-Lejardi dominated their opponents in the first set by winning 15-5. The second set was more contested but Sorozabal-Lejardi were a cut above and won 15-7.
The next cesta punta meeting is scheduled for this summer with the Summer League which will take place in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Biarritz and Pau from July 6th.
