Day 2. Sweden shine in the girls’ draw, thrilling victory for Italy in the boys’ event

They dominated the qualification phase, came close to a major result on the opening day of the Final 8, and completed the breakthrough on Day 2 of the FIP Junior Euro Padel Cup in Porto. Sweden’s girls secured a hugely important result in Group B, defeating France 2-1, one of the teams directly qualified for the decisive stage of the continental competition dedicated to the best Under 14, Under 16 and Under 18 players. After Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat to Italy, the yellow-and-blue side opened the day with Tilde Malmina Stromgren and Maja Linge defeating Le Roux/Laforge 6-3 6-4. France levelled the tie through Zia Debroy and Augustine Charpentier, who beat Teikari/Killman 7-5 6-4, before Silje Kjaergaard and Zoe Andersson sealed the decisive victory over Isaac/Chretien Meal 6-3 6-1.

 

In the other Group B tie, Italy claimed their second victory by defeating Estonia. Day 3 will therefore be decisive in determining the two teams advancing to the next stage: Italy lead the group with 4 points, followed by France and Sweden on 3, while Estonia sit on 2. Under the tournament format, a win awards 2 points and a defeat 1, leaving the race for the semi-finals wide open. In Group A, Spain and Portugal’s girls continued their strong run, both recording 3-0 victories over the Netherlands and Belgium respectively. Thursday’s highly anticipated head-to-head clash will decide which of the two teams tops the group and strengthens its bid for the continental title.

 

BOYS Meanwhile, the showdown between Spain and Portugal had already taken place in the boys’ competition, with La Roja once again in control: the final score was 3-0, thanks to victories from Estebanez/Perez, Fuertes/Delgado and Zamora/Rivas. The defending champions therefore strengthened their lead at the top of Group A, while Sweden took advantage, drawing level with Portugal after a convincing 3-0 win over Denmark following their opening-round defeat to the Portuguese. Tomorrow they will face Spain, while Portugal will conclude their group campaign against Denmark. In Group B, France took centre stage with their second win in as many days, this time defeating the Netherlands 3-0.

 

The final tie of the day between Italy and Belgium was fiercely contested and highly entertaining, with the Azzurri needing a win after their defeat to France. Securing victory required a double comeback: after losing the opening match, Italy restored parity thanks to the win by Sarti/Rufo, before Stefano Indomenico and Pietro Giovannini starred in the decisive match. Once again, the Azzurri had to fight back after Lalmand/Degeling took the opening set, before turning the match around and sealing victory in the tie-break after a gripping duel (4-6 6-3 7-6). It was a hugely valuable win that keeps their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive.