It was a difficult opening day for the Italian players at the Oysho Milano Premier Padel P1. Following Alvaro Montiel and Aris Patiniotis, the other Italians in action on Monday afternoon and evening also bowed out at the Allianz Cloud. Marco Cassetta and Fabian Oviedo made a strong start against Javi Barahona and Nacho Piotto, taking the first set in a tie-break before their opponents fought back to win 6-3 6-2 after two hours and 20 minutes. Watching the match from start to finish was Nicolò Barella, who arrived at the Allianz Cloud in the afternoon specifically to cheer on Cassetta and Oviedo.
Flavio Abbate and his partner Alonso Rodriguez also saw their campaign come to an end, losing 7-6 6-4 to Lucho Capra and Maxi Sanchez, one of the players who have helped shape the history of padel. Abbate will be left to rue the opportunities missed towards the end of the first set, when he had several set points, before his opponents’ experience proved decisive.
In the final match of Day 1, Simone Iacovino and Giulio Graziotti were beaten 6-2 6-1 in just over an hour by the talented NextGen pairing of David Gala and Enzo Jensen. The Italians can now turn their attention to the next challenge: the FIP World Cup, which will take place in Doha from 2 to 7 November, where they will aim to improve on the fourth-place finish they achieved in the previous edition two years ago.
In the women’s draw, Lorena Vano and Carmen Castillon also saw their campaign come to an end. In the final day of qualifying, the pair were beaten in three sets by Marta Borrero and Teresa Navarro, who won 6-7 6-3 6-2.