From the European silver medal won with the Italian men’s team in 2024 to facing each other as opponents in one of the world’s biggest padel tournaments: Marco Cassetta and Facundo Dominguez will meet head-to-head in the first round of the Oysho Milano Premier Padel P1. Today’s draw at the Allianz Cloud – where Cassetta himself took part in the draw and the matchups – has set up an exciting first-round clash between two players who have made their mark on Italian padel history. Cassetta, from Turin, will play alongside Argentine Federico Chiostri, while Facundo – born in Mar del Plata but with an Italian grandfather – will team up with Spaniard Javi Martinez. “It’s a special feeling. I know ‘Facu’ very well, but this is the first time I’m playing against him in a Premier Padel tournament”, Cassetta said after the draw. “He and Javi have been playing together only briefly, but they’re doing really well. It will be a tough match, but we’re excited and can’t wait to get on the court”. For Cassetta, facing fellow Italians in a first-round clash has almost become a tradition: it happened at the first round of Milano P1 2022, when he and Simone Cremona beat Di Giovanni/Cattaneo, and last year when he met Di Giovanni again and Riccardo Sinicropi, who went on to reach the second round.
Lorenzo Di Giovanni, another Italian silver medalist, will also be on court in Milan. The Abruzzese, now paired with Simone Cremona – another mainstay of the national team – will face a high-level challenge against Jose Diestro and Victor Ruiz. In the upper half of the draw, Flavio Abbate stands out: the talented Sicilian was recently called up to the national team ahead of the 2025 European Final 8 (October 21–25). Abbate will team up with young Spaniard Manuel Castaño, born in 2008, and face a pair of qualifiers in the first round; a win would set up a clash against top players Alex Ruiz and Juanlu Esbri, the number eight seeds. Also representing Italy in Milan are Aris Patiniotis, paired with Jesus Moya against Jose Jimenez and Maxi Sanchez Blasco, and Alvaro Montiel, born in Barcelona but with Italian heritage on his mother’s side and living in Turin for the past two years. Like Cassetta, Montiel will face a friendly derby: alongside Juan Belluati, ‘Alvarito’ will play against his friend Enzo Jensen, who will team up with Emilio Sanchez.
WOMEN In the women’s draw, Giulia Dal Pozzo will make a striking debut. The Italo-Sammarinese player was a revelation at last year’s Milano P1, reaching the round of 16 with Caterina Baldi after starting from the qualifiers. Officially part of the Italian national team after last month’s call-up, Dal Pozzo will partner with Sandra Bellver in the first round against Spaniards Tamara Icardo and Marta Ortega, the latter a true institution in women’s padel. Carolina Orsi, one of Italy’s top players, will make a slightly easier debut: she will team up with Argentine Martina Fassio to face Sofia Saiz and Marta Talavan.