An hour after the match — one of the most thrilling in their career — Giulia Dal Pozzo and Caterina Baldi emerged from the locker room still brimming with emotion. At the Allianz Cloud, during the first day of the women’s qualifiers at the Milano Premier Padel P1, the duo from Emilia-Romagna achieved an incredible feat, defeating the pair formed by Spain’s Jana Montes Cabruja and, most notably, the legendary Carolina Navarro, in straight sets (6-4, 6-1). Navarro, a former world number one for nine years, boasts four World Championship titles for national teams and over a hundred tournament victories worldwide.
“Before starting, there was so much tension knowing the opponent we were up against”, said Dal Pozzo, born in 2005 and one of Italy’s brightest padel talents. “Then we stepped onto the court and loosened up. We played an amazing, perfect match, and the feeling is indescribable.” The emotion was shared by Baldi: “Before stepping onto the court, I was nervous. I even confessed it to my coach and asked him to tell me something motivational to overcome the nerves”, she admitted with a smile. “Then we started playing, and we let go. It was amazing, but the best part was how much fun we had. Now, we’re aiming for the main draw.”
The joy was even greater as this marked the first victory for Dal Pozzo and Baldi in a Premier Padel tournament, following their debut last June at the Rome event. Today’s victory is yet another confirmation of the growth of this pairing, which, since mid-2024, has shown steady improvement in performance and results across all tournaments. Just in the past month, they secured the FIP Rise in Naples (defeating two top Italian players, Chiara Pappacena and Giulia Sussarello, in the final) and the FIP Promotion in Croatia.
“We’ve been playing together for a while now, and we know each other better both on and off the court. That helps us a lot when we’re playing”, said Dal Pozzo, who has even higher aspirations for next year: “In addition to earning as many points as possible to climb the rankings, there’s the national team. Reaching the top, not just in Italy but also globally, would be a dream—and it starts here”. With their first match behind them, Dal Pozzo and Baldi will return to the court tomorrow for the second qualifying round against the Spanish pair Arellano/Lujan. Meanwhile, the journey ended in the first round for Italian players Emily Stellato and Giulia Sussarello, who lost in two sets (both in tiebreaks) to France’s Touly and Spain’s Dominguez.