An all-Italian clash that promises to deliver, but for that very reason cannot be a match like any other. Giorgia Marchetti and Giulia Dal Pozzo will face each other late on Tuesday afternoon at the Allianz Cloud in the women’s first round of the Oysho Milano Premier Padel P1. On one of the most important courts in the world, the stakes are already high: the winner will earn a place in the round of 16 against ‘la leyenda’ Alejandra Salazar and Aranzazu Osoro. But as national team-mates and friends off the court, this will be a difficult match for more than one reason. “It’s never easy to face an Italian player”, says Marchetti, who will play alongside Lara Arruabarrena. “In Giulia’s case, we also travel a lot together and know each other well. On court we’re opponents and we both want to win, but I’m sure there will be great mutual respect”. A sentiment shared by the 20-year-old Dal Pozzo, one of the revelations of the 2026 season alongside Nuria Rodriguez and a recent entrant into the world’s top 25. “Of course, we both want to win and we’ll give everything on court to make that happen. But once the match is over, we’ll be the same as before, united as always”.
That close bond will be valuable ahead of the biggest event on the calendar: the World Cup in Doha, taking place from 2 to 7 November, for which both players have been selected. “The group is close-knit, and the team is competitive and full of experience”, continues Marchetti, who was part of the team that won bronze at the previous edition two years ago. “We always feel that we can achieve something greater, that we can compete even against very strong teams like Argentina”. For Dal Pozzo, meanwhile, it will be her first World Cup, following her debut for the national team a year ago, when Italy won bronze at the European Championships. “Giorgia was invaluable because she helped me feel calm, gave me confidence and made it easy for me to play alongside her. It was an incredible emotion”. Marchetti, meanwhile, quickly realised that she had an exceptional talent by her side. “We had never played together before, yet we won some hugely important matches. She never got nervous and never shied away from responsibility”. A valuable bond that will be put temporarily to one side for the duration of today’s match, before growing even stronger when they return to the same side of the net.