More than three hours of battle, then the joy and the run to the stands to hug her cousin and a friend. Carolina Orsi celebrates her victory in front of the crowd at the Allianz Cloud, playing with the Argentine Martina Fassio in the first round of the Oysho Milano Premier Padel P1 against the Spaniards Sofia Saiz and Marta Talavan. It was a tough match, won in comeback fashion 5-7, 7-6, 7-6: “I’m emotional, it was a crazy match but I’m so happy for the victory,” said Carolina after the match. “Anything could happen, it felt like no one could actually win.” In the toughest moments, the Italian’s fighting spirit came out: “In the third set, even when we were behind, something clicked and we managed to come back by raising our level also thanks to this amazing crowd. It was all about attitude, and we did well to believe until the end.”
And speaking of the Italian team, the Final Eight of the FIP Euro Padel Cup is getting closer, where Orsi will also play alongside the promising Giulia Dal Pozzo, who was eliminated today by the fifth-seeded pair Ortega–Icardo: “In my opinion, she’s really strong. She’s left-handed like me, so we could never play together,” said the daughter of Nando, former Lazio goalkeeper. “But we’re getting to know each other and we can help one another. I’m happy she’s joining the National Team, we needed young energy and new faces. She played a great match today, very solid, and I think these experiences help her grow,” concluded Orsi, who then added with a smile: “My dad wasn’t in the stands? He had already booked a flight to Sharm el-Sheikh, otherwise he would have come.”
Orsi will now return to the court on Thursday for the second round, facing the winners of the match between Salazar–Calvo and the other Italian Giorgia Marchetti with Lea Godallier. Milan dreams of an Italian derby.