Match Point
Lacoste (2020)

I really don't understand this one.. from the name, to the color, and everything in between. One would expect a green scent, but it's anything but.. There's a slight herbaceous component, but i wouldn't call it green, or good for that matter. This reminds me of Cartier L'Envol and Hermes H24.. not at all in terms of smell, but in terms of build quality, and oddness. As all 3 scents are strange and clash. it's hard to categorize, and hard to describe.. it almost smells like a cheap candle.. or something.

Coty Inc say this contains a breath accord and a thrill accord.
Wish I felt so inspired, all I get is sharp green and sweet concrete.
(And it isn't just me that gets that idea, check out the publicity photos under the rubric : match point fragrance direct.)
I suppose it could have been worse, but then it could have been Eau de Gentiane Blanche.

I don't usually add my 2 cents, because others can break down scents much better than I. However, I just tested this on paper, and after the about 5 minutes, there is a slight marijuana accord if one inhales deeply. Quite a surprise for a house built on preppy aesthetic.

Lacoste does not have the greatest track record for innovation in the field of mass-market perfume, at least not since Jean Kerleo by way of Jean Patou stopped being the caretaker of their perfumes, but there have been some pleasant hits between the mediocrity or outright misses that comprise a lot of the range. Match Point (2020) is one such hit, even if it isn't a revelation by any stretch of the imagination. Perfumer Sophie Labbé is rather prolific in the number of entries she has churned out for designers, with the occaisional bit of artistic flare here and there like with the niche Floraïku range or the IFF Speed Smelling Postmodern (2017) set that came out a few years back, and rides the middle course between that flare and the typical dialed-in mass appeal vibe. Match Point itself goes for a tennis theme but how much of that translates from the smell is beyond me, since I have not spent much if any significant time in a tennis court. Match Point seems to be trying to do the same thing Davidoff Run Wild (2020) is doing, by being just left-of-center in the mass-appeal spectrum, especially by not being a post-aquatic "blue" fragrance in the strictest terms like Prada Luna Rossa Carbon (2017), but is it enough? I can't say but Match Point is leagues beyond Run Wild in originality and quality even if in the greater scheme it isn't super original, and also miles away from most entities in the L.12.12 line made for men, since that "give me sporty or give me death" line has all but put a clown nose on the house of Lacoste.

the opening of Match Point is sweet, but it isn't your typical "mall fragrance" sweet, nor the usual blast of vacuum-distilled "smooth" bergamot that powers stuff like Creed Aventus (2010) or Dior Sauvage (2015). Instead, Sophie returns to a 2000's favorite with grapefruit, which itself is often sweeter than bergamot when presented in fragrances, but not sweet in the same intensity as what guys wearing 2010's "bangers" might be used to. I get some pink pepper for body but mainly geranium after this, which runs through shades of being minty, bright, rosey, metallic, and fresh all at once. The geranium here is very much like what you'd find in JB by Jack Black (2010) or Creed Vetiver Geranium (2014), but not on the same level of refinement as the latter. Bitterness and powderiness move in to replace some of the sweetness before long, being blamed on the gentian flower (which I had no experience with until this fragrance), with clary sage adding some barbershop comfort with it's hay-like aromatic demeanor. It almost feels like Match Point is trying to bridge an age divide between gen-x and millennials the same way Rochas L'Homme does (2020), but more on that later. The base has wisps of oakmoss woodiness, but without the plush feel of true oakmoss, adding in heaps of fuzzy cashmeran like Dior Homme (2020) or older Calvin Klein fragrances like Contradiction for Men (1999), with green touches of vetiver. There is also a form of woody amber here but I wouldn't say this is scratchy. Performance is average to slightly above in sillage but longevity isn't anything to brag about.

You know the drill past this point: Lacoste Match Point is a semi-sporty fresh fragrance for day time use in spring through early fall, best used in casual situations or maybe to the gym. The formal appeal of the geranium focus and the clean powderiness may give this some legs in the office but there are far better options in my opinion, like Prada L'Homme (2016). The kind of person showing interest in Lacoste Match Point may be the guy who is tired of the L.12.12 range and wanting something a bit more mature, or the older guy who has worn Lacoste (1984), Booster (1996), or Lacoste pour Homme (2002) and wants an update to his Lacoste-branded signature. Really, the mixture of sweet grapefruit, gentlemanly geranium, powdery gential, and a synthetic but harmless woody base notes form this "something for everyone" that reaches out to about 40 years worth of "cologne guys" out there who aren't invested enough in fragrances as a hobby to care about oakmoss this, IFRA that, or what makes a scent niche. The "three colognes in the medicine chest" kind of guy who could be your dad, your older brother, or you best friend has Match Point specifically gunning for his money, and he won't smell like the masses drenched in Axe or "something blue" which is a plus. For the guys deeply entrenched in batch codes or looking for a convincing Mysore sandalwood note in their perfume, this will be a pass like most Lacoste fragrances. Match Point feels like a dumb reach scent that doesn't feel quite so dumb, comparatively speaking. Thumbs up.

Young, fresh, and very sweet. Definitely synthetic. After the initial sweet opening, it gets kinda powdery, reminding me of a scented Kleenex as the scent dries down. That fruity sweetness remains but in a far less heavy dose and it starts to remind me of Lacoste White but more interesting. The subtle drydown also has some mossy greeness. Match Point doesn't call back to anything in tennis but it is definitely sporty. Should be a good compliment-getter, good for work and casual wear appropriate.

Lasts a good 6-7 hours.

Smells like a cheap adidas/axe fragrance, I won't even bother to describe this failure. Just a warning for the blind buyers.