SKEMA crowned champion of the French Business Schools’ Padel Cup

Padel is steadily gaining ground across business schools and universities. Organised by emlyon Business School from 25 to 27 April at the All In Padel complex in Lyon-Décines, this year’s tournament saw SKEMA take the title. Ariel Meyer (M2 MSc Entrepreneurship & Innovation) and Quentin Carrere (M2 Master in Management), based at the Sophia Antipolis campus, secured a win in a 100% SKEMA final against their Lille counterparts.

A friendship forged on the court

Both originally from the Paris region, Ariel and Quentin first played together a year ago on the Sophia campus while continuing their studies. It was at that time that their coach, Franck Luccisano, began assembling a team with real winning potential. “I met Ariel when I started playing padel at Sophia. We entered warm-up tournaments and trained once a week at the Mouratoglou Academy,” explains Quentin Carrere, a final-year Master in Management student.

Also coming from a tennis background, Ariel Meyer, a student in MSc Entrepreneurship and Innovation, juggles several sports. “I played tennis for ten years. Alongside padel, I’m also captain of the Sophia volleyball team, with whom we recently finished second at the ESC Cup,” he adds.

Matches against top competitors

Their synergy stood out on court. During the group stage, they beat ESCP, ESSEC and Clermont School of Business, before knocking out HEC in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, they staged a comeback against emlyon, then overcame the SKEMA Lille team of Raphaël Amelot (Master in Management) and Théo Dupuis (BBA) in a closely fought three-set final. “I even broke my racket in a collision with Ariel!” says Quentin.

Sophia’s second team just shy of the podium

SKEMA Sophia 2, represented by David Alexander Scemama (2nd-year Global BBA) and Maxime Carpenzano (Master in Management), finished fourth after a hard-fought match against emlyon. “The iconic flying cup will continue its journey in SKEMA colours, and we fully intend to keep it for a while,” smiles David Alexander.

Behind the scenes, strong support from the school

“SKEMA handled everything—travel, meals—so we could focus on the game. It was a real privilege to take part in such conditions,” says Quentin. The players also praised the dedication of coach Franck Luccisano. “Franck was with us all weekend, always available, always there for us,” says Ariel. “He knew how to motivate us and create a team spirit that made all the difference,” adds Quentin.

At the end of the tournament, Ariel and Quentin each received a racket from Babolat, the event’s official partner. But beyond the trophies, it’s the sense of collective achievement that remains.