Mediolanum Padel Cup Treviso, NextGen takes the win: celebration for Juani Rubini and Agueda Perez

More than two hours of incredible action, with crazy rallies and impossible shots. In the end, the ones raising their arms in triumph were 18-year-old Argentinian Juani Rubini and Spaniard Alonso Rodriguez. They won the FIP Silver Mediolanum Padel Cup in Treviso (Italy), beating “the son of the Island,” Sicilian Flavio Abbate and the Italo-Spanish Alvaro Montiel.

The final, played at the Padel Club X4, came down to the tiniest details in the third set, in front of a sold-out crowd that packed the club all week. In the first set, Abbate and Montiel pulled off something unbelievable, saving 5 consecutive break points when they were 1-6 down in the tie break, and then winning it 10-8. In the second set, Montiel again played a fantastic golden point to break back at 3-5, sending the set to another tie break. After that, Rodriguez and Rubini kept their cool, took the second set 7-6 thanks to an early break, and finally closed it out 6-4. After the match, Rubini hugged his parents for a long time and said: “My dad, Martin Rubini, who taught me everything, won a tournament here too. He’s a padel coach in Piacenza and came here to Treviso with my family. I really wanted to do what he did. We’ve had an amazing week with ‘Alo’ and we’re super happy”. Alonso Rodriguez also praised their opponents: “Two great players. It was an honor to beat them in such a big final like this FIP Silver. I’ve got a fantastic partner and now we’re looking ahead to the next tournaments”.

The women’s final was also a show, a repeat of last week’s clash at the FIP Silver in Utrecht. On one side were Argentina’s world champion Julieta Bidahorria with Lara Arruabarrena, and on the other, Marta Borrero and the young Agueda Perez, who will turn 18 on July 20. After losing in the Netherlands, Borrero and Perez had a slow start in Treviso, dropping the first set 2-6. But then things turned around: after going up 4-0, Marta and Agueda had to endure a comeback from the No. 2 seeds. At 4-5, they found their rhythm and the right shots to handle the pressure and tied the match in the tie break. From there, the No. 5 seeds took control, finishing with a convincing 6-1 to get their revenge and their first title together. “It was a really tough match in Utrecht and we knew today would be the same. And it was”, Agueda Perez said after the match. “Congrats to our opponents, such a strong team. Marta and I haven’t been playing together for long, but we’re working really well”, Borrero agreed: “What I like most is how we communicate on court. That really helps us a lot in these matches”.