The final stage is set. The four best teams from the seven qualifying rounds of the Masters de Pétanque will compete in the Final Four this Thursday in L’Île-Rousse, Corsica.
Two stars of Malagasy pétanque are competing in the final stage of the 27th edition of the Masters de Pétanque. As leaders after the seven qualifying rounds, Yves Sedrick Rakotoarisoa and Jean François Daniel Rakotondrainibe, known as “Zigle,” alongside Senegalese player N’Diaye Fara and Beninese player Marcel Gbetable, will play in the 2026 Final Four this Thursday in L’Île-Rousse.
Four teams qualified after the seven stages. The “Étoiles du Sud” (Stars of the South) finished in pole position with 55 points. The African selection dominated the qualifying phase by winning the first stage in Romans-sur-Isère and reaching at least the semi-finals in all other stages. The Dylan Rocher team holds second place with 47 points, ahead of the defending champions, the Bonetto team (45 points), and the Dream Team (43 points). These four teams will face off in the semi-finals this Thursday.
In the semi-finals, the Étoiles du Sud team will face the Dream Team, composed of Philippe Quintais, Philippe Suchaud, and Henri Lacroix. Meanwhile, the team of Dylan Rocher, Stéphane Robineau, Diego Rizzi, and Jean-Michel Puccinelli will face the Bonetto formation. This Thursday’s Final Four serves as a chance for revenge for the two players from the Great Island, Yves and Zigle, who have been playing for the French club Décines since the beginning of the year. The Malagasy selection fell in the final duel during the previous edition of the Masters de Pétanque.
The defending champion team, formed by Mickaël Bonetto, Christophe Sarrio, Ludovic Montoro, and Yohan Cousin, defeated the Malagasy team—composed of Yves, Zigle, Faratiana Rakotoniaina (known as “Tiana kely”), and Faralahy Urbain Joseph Ramanantiaray (known as “Baloty”)—with a score of 13-4 during the final in La Talaudière on September 9, 2025.
Madagascar won its only Masters title in 2014 with the team consisting of Zoel Alhenj Tonitsihoarana (“Toutoune”), Lahatra Randriamanantany, and Frédéric Rakotoariniaina. The Final Four promises to be an electric event this Thursday.
Captured & Published at: 2026-09-16 05:54:01 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/09/masters-de-petanque-yves-et-zigle-deux.html