Watch out for those two. Marta Ortega and Tamara Icardo are one of the most in-form pairs around at the moment. Since Valladolid, their first tournament together in June, they have already reached two finals, in Malaga and at the Paris Major, and the semi-finals in Dusseldorf. The two Spaniards are also contenders for a leading role in Milan. They got off to an encouraging start, beating Sandra Bellver and Giulia Dal Pozzo 6-3 6-0 to reach the round of 16 at the Oysho Milano Premier Padel P1. “We are happy with our start to the tournament and also with the playing conditions – said the “Doctora” –. Compared to previous editions in December, we are playing on fast courts, which we like. We work well together, but we want to improve further and raise our level. Dal Pozzo? I had never seen her play before: we knew she was left-handed and came from tennis, but I must say that as well as playing well in attack, she defends well, even with low shots. She has a bright future”. Coming from a former world number one, this is a great compliment for Giulia, one of the purest talents in Italian padel.
For Icardo, 2025 was the year of redemption after a period marked by injuries. “I changed something in my athletic training, but it’s my diet that I’ve focused on the most to get back to this level – explains the Valencia player –. I have a great relationship with Marta: we support each other, we’re very close, we have fun on the court, trying to enjoy our work. Keeping the level high for so many weeks isn’t easy, but that’s the beauty of competition. Gemma and Delfi are currently playing the best, but we try to study every match to try to be better in the next one”. Milan is the fifth Premier Padel tournament in six weeks after Madrid, Paris, Dusseldorf and Rotterdam: “The end of the season is approaching, but there is still time to push on”.