Colin Abgrall, edited by Laura Laplaud / Photo credit: ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP 07:22, May 30, 2023

And if he was the new nugget of French tennis? Luca Van Assche, 19, hit Monday in his first match in the big draw. He played on court number 14, a small court and especially lucky charm for the French. Fiona Ferro, Léolia Jeanjean, Lucas Pouille... They all left this field with a victory.

Roland-Garros is not just the Philippe Chatrier court, the Suzanne Lenglen or the Simonne-Mathieu court and its greenhouses... At the Porte d'Auteuil, the annex courts also enjoy great popularity, like court number 14. Created in 2018, it has forged this year the reputation of real good luck charm of the French.

Fiona Ferro came out of qualifying, as did Lucas Pouille who also passed the first round, but also Léolia Jeanjean, qualified for the second round. Court number 14 vibrated again on Monday for the young Luca Van Assche.

>> READ ALSO – Roland-Garros: 35,000 spectators at the rendezvous for the first day of the main draw

"Big atmospheres" on court 14

Located at the end of the Porte d'Auteuil complex, dug into the ground, Court 14 allowed every Frenchman who stepped on it to transcend themselves, including Léolia Jeanjean, qualified in the second round. "I think if we do this same game in different conditions, I don't think the turn of phrase will be the same. We really feel the vibrations of the public, so it helps a lot, "says the player at the microphone of Europe 1.

On Monday, spectators were waiting for the nugget Luca Van Assche. Anthony, cap screwed on his head, arrived two hours early. "It's a court where you can have a lot of people, it puts big atmospheres. And on the other hand, it's really intimate, you can see the players up close whereas on the big courts, it's a little more complicated," he said.

>> LISTEN - Arthur Ashe, my mentor [Episode 2]

2,200 spectators

2,200 spectators warmed by a sun present from start to finish. A Frenchman on the court and the 14th goes up in flames. Luca Van Assche won his first victory on Monday for his first Roland Garros. It was well worth a Marseillaise hummed by the spectators. This Tuesday, Fiona Ferro will taste court 14 again while Hugo Gaston will find out. Two chances to see the magic work again.