One of the longstanding pillars of the Italian women’s national team on one side, and the player who joined the formidable group of “sisters of Italy” at the FIP Euro Padel Cup a year ago, where Italy finished third, on the other. Giorgia Marchetti (on the left in the photo) and Giulia Dal Pozzo will face each other on Tuesday at the Allianz Cloud in the women’s first round of the OYSHO Milano Premier Padel P1. The eagerly awaited match, scheduled for no earlier than 6 pm on the Central court, takes on added significance as it comes less than two months after the medals won at the Mediterranean Games in Taranto and fewer than 20 days before the FIP World Cup in Doha (2–7 November), for which both players have been selected.
Before reuniting as national teammates, the two will go head-to-head for a place in the round of 16. Twenty-year-old Dal Pozzo, world No. 25 and one of this season’s revelations, will partner Spain’s Nuria Rodriguez, with whom she reached a historic semi-final at the Italy Major in Rome this year. Marchetti (No. 53), meanwhile, will team up with another Spaniard, Lara Arruabarrena. The winners could then face one of the legends of the sport, Alejandra Salazar, who is making her final appearance in Milan before retiring at the end of the year. Alongside Gemma Triay, another player competing at the Allianz Cloud, Salazar holds the record for the most titles won, with 58.
Tuesday’s programme will feature more than just the Dal Pozzo-Marchetti derby, with Italian national team star Carolina Orsi also taking to the court. The Rome-born player, the first Italian woman to break into the world top 30, will make her debut alongside Patty Llaguno against Sofia Saiz and Marta Talavan in the third match scheduled on the central court. The morning session will begin at 9.30 am with Ale Salazar and Aranzazu Osoro taking on Alix Collombon and Ksenia Sharifova. Another legend of the sport, Paquito Navarro, will bring the day to a close. One of the favourites among the Milan crowd and beyond, the world No. 8 will partner Argentina’s Martin Di Nenno against the winners of the match between Enzo Jensen and David Gala and Italian pair Simone Iacovino and Giulio Graziotti.