METZ/STARNBERG, November 2, 2026 (via Media Release)

In a ruling dated 7 October 2026, France’s Court of Cassation rejected the appeal filed by four minority shareholders contesting the sale of shares in the company Open de Moselle in 2022. Following previous decisions by the Metz Judicial Court on 11 April 2023 and the Metz Court of Appeal on 19 December 2024, the latest ruling brings the legal proceedings to a definitive conclusion.

The Court of Cassation specifically upheld the lower court’s interpretation of the company’s statutes, stating:

“The Court of Appeal rightly concluded that the sale carried out in favour of ALL IN Moselle had been conducted in accordance with the statutes of Open de Moselle.”

Three consecutive judicial decisions have therefore gone against the challengers. However, while the legal dispute has now been settled, an international tennis tournament has disappeared.

Governance Structure Designed To Protect The Tournament’s Future

In 2017, the company’s statutes were comprehensively revised, introducing an approval mechanism designed to regulate the admission of new shareholders and protect the company’s interests. The changes were unanimously approved by all shareholders.

In 2022, Thierry Ascione and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga expressed their interest in acquiring shares and contributing to the tournament’s development. The four minority shareholders exercised their pre-emption rights, but the company did not approve their request and subsequently authorised the entry of ALL IN Moselle as a shareholder.

This decision triggered a legal dispute that eventually reached the Court of Cassation, with the challengers failing to achieve their objective.

Attempts At Reconciliation Failed

The company says it proposed several amicable solutions in an attempt to resolve the deadlock. However, these proposals failed to lead to any meaningful discussions.

Open de Moselle believes that the continuation of the confrontation, despite opportunities for reconciliation, contributed to the tournament’s long-term instability.

The ATP explicitly referred to the dispute and the governance difficulties in its communications with the company. This situation formed part of the circumstances that ultimately led to the withdrawal of the Moselle Open from the ATP calendar.

In a statement issued on 21 June 2024, the ATP explained:

“The ATP concluded that an ongoing and prolonged dispute challenging the ownership of the tournament was preventing strategic planning and decision-making, which was not in the best interests of the tournament and the Tour. Following a thorough review of the situation, the reacquisition of the licence, while maintaining the tournament in Metz as a leased event, was determined to be the preferred option by the ATP Board.”

After 23 years in Metz, the tournament was gone. The consequences extend far beyond the individual interests of the shareholders involved.

Responsibility Cannot Be Ignored

Open de Moselle believes that the four minority shareholders – including Éric Lucas, Maurice Blackman and representatives of the companies ALK and Speedy Rychi Nylon – must take responsibility for the consequences of their decisions and the legal strategy they pursued.

The company also criticised the political support given to the challenge, particularly by the Mayor of Metz and his circle, including Éric Lucas. It believes this support requires further explanation, given that the future of a major sporting event for the region was at stake.

Throughout the dispute, the company argues, only the Moselle Department strongly mobilised in defence of the tournament and its future.

The lack of public statements and the absence of support from others cannot, in the company’s view, be regarded as insignificant. When a tournament and an entire region face such a serious situation, failing to intervene means allowing events to unfold. And allowing them to unfold, it argues, means contributing to an outcome that some may later claim not to have supported.

The company insists that the affair cannot be reduced to a simple disagreement between shareholders. It contributed to a situation with far-reaching consequences for the tournament and the entire Moselle region.

A Major Loss For Moselle And The Grand Est Region

Since 2003, the Moselle Open had helped put Metz and the Moselle Department on the international map by welcoming some of the biggest names in tennis. Over the course of its 23 editions, the tournament attracted hundreds of thousands of spectators, involved numerous local service providers, brought together hundreds of partners and established itself as a major sporting and social event for the region.

Open de Moselle also wants to correct what it describes as misleading claims that the tournament was intended to move to Lyon.

The Grand Prix Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, currently staged in Lyon, is in no way a relocation of the Moselle Open. The latter’s ATP calendar slot was removed altogether.

The disappearance of the tournament represents a major sporting, economic and regional loss.

The company extended its heartfelt thanks to the 50,000 spectators who attended the final edition, as well as to its partners, staff, volunteers and everyone who supported the event throughout its 23-year history.

The legal decision is now final. It will neither bring the tournament back to Metz nor erase the consequences of the dispute.

Open de Moselle says it wants the facts to be remembered and those responsible to be held accountable. The disappearance of the Moselle Open leaves behind profound sadness and considerable bitterness.