The joy of Gemma and Delfi, queens of Rome: “An incredible feeling”

In 2025 they arrived as overwhelming favourites. In 2026 they did not, having lost five consecutive finals, all against Paula Josemaria and Bea Gonzalez. Yet once again the BNL Italy Major smiled on world No. 1s Gemma Triay and Delfi Brea, who claimed the title with a 6-1 7-5 victory over Ari Sanchez and Andrea Ustero. A success that further strengthens their special bond with the Foro Italico. “The satisfaction of winning here”, Gemma said during the post-match press conference, “is always tremendous. The crowd also helped us a lot throughout the entire week. Playing on this Centre Court is always special for me. Today we didn’t take advantage of our chances to go up 3-0 and later 5-2 in the second set, and our opponents came back into the match. They played much better in the second set than they had before. But in the difficult moments we did a good job of staying mentally strong and managing to turn the match around from 4-5 in that second set”.

One of the keys to the victory had been carefully planned before the match. The objective was to take as much time away from Andrea Ustero as possible and prevent her from hurting them with her overhead game. “The idea worked”, explained coach Seba Nerone, who joined his players in front of the media. “In the first set the girls managed to execute it consistently. In the second set a little less so, but they still found a way to secure the victory. Naturally, before every match we try to study our opponents, just as they surely do with us”.

“We were coming from a difficult period”, said Delfi Brea, “but even in all the finals we lost, those five in a row, we always gave everything we had, trying every possible solution both mentally and tactically. I’m very proud of myself and of the team for getting back to winning. We’re doing a great job, constantly pushing each other to improve, and the results are showing. Knowing that we wouldn’t be facing Paula and Bea in the final, the pair that had beaten us in the previous five, gave us an extra boost, especially considering the ranking points we had to defend. I think this week has been very important in many different ways”. “Now we have to enjoy this victory and celebrate it”, added Gemma Triay, who thanks to this title moves within three victories of Alejandra Salazar’s all-time record of 58 titles. “If it happens one day”, concluded the Spaniard, “it will be wonderful. But it’s not something I think about. Right now I don’t focus on statistics or records. I just enjoy the moment, the work, the matches and everything I do day after day”.