Milan Premier Padel P1: Baldi and Dal Pozzo in the round of 16 with a thrill
Baldi and Dal Pozzo ahead with the thrill
Caterina Baldi and Giulia Dal Pozzo advanced with a thrill at the Milan Premier Padel P1. After being broken at the time of serving to close out the match and then having five match points nullified at 5-6, the Azzurri beat the Spaniards Letizia Manquillo and Arantxa Soriano, earning a place in the round of 16, where awaiting them will be the winner of Sainz/Llaguno (two totems of world padel) against Talavan/Bidahorria (on court tomorrow morning).
A victory so unexpected and unthinkable that after the decisive point of a tiebreak dominated 7-2, Caterina (class '97) and Giulia (born in 2005 and one of the brightest talents of Italian padel) let their rackets go to the ground and oneè jumped into the arms of the other amidst a long scream of joy.
Then, the embrace with Filippo Scala before the hot commentary: "For me è an indescribable emotion, I am delighted becauseé this è a dream come true and I hope not to wake up". Next to her Giulia 'Ice' Dal Pozzo, for once lets herself go to the joy of a resounding feat: “There are no words to describe what we have done, è just the second time we have participated in a Premier Padel and to make it all the way to the round of 16 so'anything else but a dream?".
There would be celebration long and late after a padel adventure like this but, no, head down and work: “No celebration tonight, we stay focused, we have one more game and we have to do everything right. So we will go to bed early, happy but to bed early”, they say in chorus. Then, time machine on and we go back to the five match points cancelled at 5-6: “We did it with heart, in those moments tactics disappear and there is only you, your emotions and concentration. We stayed there at every point together, united as always and we brought it home”, says Caterina, with Giulia joining in and adding: “The five match points canceled? In those moments you just think about everything you have done to get there and so until the last point you don't give up, you fight to the last breath to defend the dream”.
Baldi and Dal Pozzo are not the only Italians to have made it through the first round of the Milan Premier Padel P1: on the center court of the Allianz Cloud, celebration also for Italy's No. 1 Carolina Orsi, who with Spain's Nuria Rodriguez overcame 7-6 6-3 Sandra Bellver and Barbara Las Heras. Defeated, however, were both Giorgia Marchetti (with French Lea Godallier), beaten 7-6 6-3 by Bea Caldera and Lorena Rufo, and wild cards Chiara Pappacena and Martina Parmigiani, ko 6-4 6-3 against Noemi Aguilar and Teresa Navarro.
