The draws. Errani from Roland Garros to the Foro Italico: “Can’t wait to play”

Less than a month after hosting the Internazionali BNL d’Italia tennis tournament, the Foro Italico has been transformed: from red clay to blue padel courts, with the world’s best players ready to compete in the fourth edition of the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel, the second Major of the year after Doha. And the stars of the ‘pala’ will be joined by two-time Roland Garros doubles champion Sara Errani, wild card for the women’s main draw. After triumphing this morning alongside Jasmine Paolini and doing the same in the mixed doubles with Andrea Vavassori, Errani – also champion at the Foro Italico with Paolini – will play in Rome with Giulia Dal Pozzo. “After winning two Grand Slam titles in Paris, I can’t wait to get to Rome, where we will try to win another one, this time in padel – she said –. I have a flight tonight and will start training right away, trying to recover my energy as best I can”. Errani and Dal Pozzo will face Sandra Bellver and Laia Rodriguez in the first round, with two former world number ones, Lucia Sainz and Patty Llaguno (finalists in Rome in 2024), waiting for them if they win: this is the result of the draw in which Ari Sanchez (defending champion in Rome) and Juan Lebron, who triumphed in the first edition of the Rome Major alongside Ale Galan, attended.

MEN There will be 48 pairs at the start of the men’s draw, with the 16 seeds beginning their journey in the second round. Arturo Coello and Agustin Tapia will face Leygue/Moya or Portuguese brothers Nuno and Miguel Deus. On the other side are defending champions Fede Chingotto and Ale Galan, who await the winner of the match between two qualifiers and Valdes/Collado. Coki Nieto and Mike Yanguas are on the same side as the number 1 seeds: they will make their debut against Garcia/Rico or Zapata/Jimenez, while on the ‘Chingalan’ side are Juan Lebron and Franco Stupaczuk (3), who will face Ayats/Garcia Rodrigo or Ortega/Del Castillo. Among the first-round matches, the Italian derby between Simone Cremona and Giulio Graziotti and the pair formed by Simone Iacovino and Lorenzo Di Giovanni stands out. Possible quarterfinals: Coello/Tapia (1)-Bergamini/Navarro (6), with a possible rematch of the Buenos Aires final, Tello/Di Nenno (7)-Nieto/Yanguas (4), Lebron/Stupaczuk (3)-Gonzalez/Sanz (5), Cardona/Augsburger (8)-Chingotto/Galan (2).

WOMEN In the women’s main draw, 40 pairs will compete for the title, with the top four ‘parejas’ making their debut in the round of 16. Sanchez and Josemaria, who regained the top spot in the ranking with their triumph in the P1 in Buenos Aires, are the number 1 seeds and will be looking for their second title in a row at the Foro Italico; in the same half of the draw are Bea Gonzalez and Claudia Fernandez, with a possible clash in the semifinals for the two pairs who competed for the P1 in the Argentine capital. On the other side, meanwhile, are the number 4 seeds (Sofia Araujo and Andrea Ustero) and number 2 seeds, with Gemma Triay, who, like Sanchez and Josemaria, is seeking her second victory at the BNL Italy Major Premier Padel, having lifted the trophy in 2023 – the first combined tournament in the Premier Padel history – alongside Marta Ortega. There will also be an Italian derby in the first round among the women: Casali/Gallardo versus Marchetti/Las Heras. These are the hypothetical quarterfinals: Sanchez/Josemaria (1)-Ortega/Alonso (5), Sainz/Llaguno (7)-Gonzalez/Fernandez (3), Araujo/Ustero (4)-Salazar/Virseda (6), Icardo/Jensen (8)-Brea/Triay (2).