Day7: Italy claim a bronze double, France also reach the podium

Italy began the final day of the XX Mediterranean Games with a bronze double. With the medals won by Carolina Orsi/Giorgia Marchetti in the women’s event and Marco Cassetta/Simone Iacovino in the men’s event, the team has secured four podium finishes, the highest number among the nations competing, with the two finals that will award the Mixed and men’s gold medals still to come later in the day.

 

WOMEN’S The two medals arrived almost simultaneously on the courts at Parco del Mediterraneo Salinella. Orsi and Marchetti defeated Portugal’s Ana Catarina Nogueira and Sofia Araújo in three sets (7-5 2-6 6-4). After winning the first set 7-5, the Italians faced a reaction from the Portuguese pair, who levelled the match with a convincing 6-2. In the third set, however, the Italian pair found their rhythm and composure again to close out the match 6-4. “Winning a medal at these Games is something unique, and confirming our place on the podium after the gold that Carolina and I won at the European Games in Krakow in 2023 was not easy. The level is getting higher and the opponents are extremely strong,” said Marchetti. “We are a great pair on and off the court, we know each other inside out, and that is why the results come,” added Orsi. “We are delighted, I have extraordinary players and an equally extraordinary coaching team,” said head coach Marcela Ferrari.

 

MEN’S In the men’s event, Cassetta and Iacovino got the better of Miguel and Nuno Deus after another hard-fought match. The Italians won the first set 6-3, before the Portuguese pair responded in the second, winning it 7-5. In the third set, however, Cassetta and Iacovino imposed their rhythm and closed out the match with a 6-1 final set.

 

“It is an incredible emotion, I am struggling to find the words to describe this moment. Now we will rest for a few hours and then come back to support our teammates.” Those teammates are Flavio Abbate and Alvaro Montiel, who yesterday defeated Cassetta and Iacovino in the all-Italian semi-final and will face Spain’s José Diestro and David Gala this evening for the gold medal. “For me, there is no greater emotion than wearing this shirt and giving everything,” added Cassetta. “This is the best victory of my life.”

 

MIXED BRONZE FOR FRANCE France also reached the podium on Friday morning, winning bronze in the Mixed event with Louise Bahurel and Dylan Guichard. The French pair nevertheless had to fight against tournament surprise package Greece, with Pavlos-Louis Balafas and Christina Styliani Ntanou battling point by point in the first set, which the French pair eventually won in a tie-break. That proved to be the decisive turning point, with the second set dominated by the eventual winners, who did not concede a single game. The entire team’s celebrations at the end were unrestrained; for Bahurel, it is her second medal in a year with the national team after winning silver at last year’s FIP Euro Padel Cup.