González and Meléndez dominate in Giulianova

Against the backdrop of the Adriatic Sea, one pair stood out at the FIP Silver in Giulianova, Italy. José Luis González and Álvaro Meléndez claimed the title at this CUPRA FIP Tour event thanks to a three-set victory over Aris Patiniotis and Miguel Benitez in the final. After losing the opening set 6-2, the champions responded emphatically by taking the next two sets 6-1 6-0. In the semi-finals, the winners had defeated another strong pairing, Lucho Capra and Facundo Lopez, 7-5 6-1. With this victory, González moved into sole possession of the all-time record for CUPRA FIP Tour titles with 16. Behind him are fellow Spaniard Gonzalo Rubio and Italy’s Flavio Abbate, both on 15. “Champions in Giulianova!” said González after the victory. “We managed to put the finishing touch on a great week by facing pairs of the highest level. Álvaro, we will keep improving and fighting together. Now we will aim for something even bigger. It’s time to get back to work even harder than before”.

In the women’s draw, Claudia Escacena and Patri Martinez were crowned champions. However, the title did not come in the way they would have wished, as their opponents in the final, Maria Portillo and Carmen Castillon, retired during the second set with the score at 6-0 4-2 in favour of the eventual winners. It was the pair’s second title together after their victory at the FIP Bronze in Castillon at the end of May. In March, Escacena had already won three FIP Bronze titles in Viseu, Helsingborg and Houten alongside Monica Gomez. Martinez, in addition to her titles with Escacena, also won the FIP Silver in Kuala Lumpur with Julia Polo and the FIP Bronze in Kaunas with Marta Arellano.