Italian duo makes history

The Center Court of the Foro Italico bore witness to a historic moment as the first ever padel match, and Italian at that, was held on the prestigious stage. Thanks to the splendid performance of Daniele Cattaneo and Lorenzo di Giovanni who not only are participating in the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel with a wild card, but also reciprocated the organizer’s choice to have them inaugurate the main court with a 6-4 6-4 victory against French duo Jerome Inzerillo and Maxime Moreau. 

A dreamlike success on such a stage, considering the importance of the Roman Major in the international calendar and everything that surrounds but also thanks to the value of their opponents, a pair capable of defeating the Spaniards Moya/Castillo, a seeded team, during the qualifiers of Sunday.

Cattaneo confirms to be the man of firsts: in 2022 (with Riccardo Sinicropi) he won the first match ever won by an Italian pair in a major circuit tournament in Rome, and this year he inaugurated with a victory padel on the Center Court by working the rallies from the right to allow his partner - the most powerful player in the Italian padel scene - to close with a smash. It was a shot that hurt their opponents, proving decisive both in the first set, where the Italians took the lead capitalizing on Inzerillo's difficulties, and in the second set, which they quickly secured with an early break, and then defended with care and precision. It was precisely the winning smashes from Di Giovanni, two in a row, that ended the match, sealing the deal at 30-30 in the tenth game of the second set. 

Then came the inevitable embrace, and the two Italians let themselves go showing their elation for a victory that will remain in the history of Italian padel. As a reward, on Wednesday, they will face a thrilling duel against two formidable giants of the circuit, Paquito Navarro and Federico Chingotto.