Italy-Portugal for Mixed gold: Dal Pozzo and Cassetta face the Araujo siblings

Portugal and Italy will be the teams contesting the Mixed final at the XX Mediterranean Games, in a clash that promises plenty of excitement. In the morning semi-finals at Parco del Mediterraneo Salinella in Taranto, Sofia and Pedro Araujo, the number 1 seeds, produced a dominant performance to beat the Greek pair of Pavlos-Louis Balafas and Christina Styliani Ntanou 6-3 6-0. After a start in which Greece tried to stay in the match despite the Portuguese pair’s aggressive approach, the second set turned into a one-sided affair: the Araujo siblings raised the pace on return, constantly putting pressure on their opponents’ serve and leaving the Greek pair very little room to manoeuvre, as they failed to win a single game. The appointment is now set for Friday morning, when they will go in search of the first historic Mediterranean title: “We came here to win the most important medal,” Sofia had said immediately after their debut. An objective echoed by ‘Peu’: “Winning with my sister would be incredible. It’s our goal and we hope we can achieve it”.

 

There was also celebration for Italy, with Giulia Dal Pozzo and Marco Cassetta (2) producing a great performance to beat France’s Louise Bahurel and Dylan Guichard (3), securing another medal after already guaranteeing one in the men’s event. After a tactical and patient start, the decisive break came in the fifth game and changed the course of the match. The second set then saw a dominant performance from the Italian pair, with Dal Pozzo/Cassetta winning 63% of points on return and 80% of points behind their first serve for a commanding 6-1 finish. “The final was our goal and we have achieved it, we are delighted,” said Dal Pozzo. “Tomorrow we will face a very strong pair, two siblings who have great chemistry, but I also work very well with Marco. We will certainly give it everything.” Cassetta shared the same determination: “It was the final we wanted. We can’t wait to get on court, it will be tough, but hopefully we can enjoy it and win”.