FIP Platinum Sardegna, the draws. Champions parade in Cagliari: Belasteguin-Garrido and Riera-Goenaga top seeds

First the FIP Platinum Sardegna, then the final stage of the FIP European Padel Championships. Two unmissable weeks begin in Italy for every padel fan, with the Tennis Club Cagliari preparing to host two top-level competitions. It begins, from Tuesday 16 to Saturday 20, with the tournament of the highest category of the CUPRA FIP Tour, a circuit of the International Padel Federation that can count on more than 120 tournaments organised in the five continents every year: the FIP Platinum Sardegna awards 250 points in the FIP ranking for the winning pairs, and champions from all over the world will come to the Island.

The qualifiers are underway in Cagliari, but the main draw was also made today. In the men’s one, the number 1 seed will be the legend Fernando Belasteguin (for 16 years number 1 in the world and today number 9 in the FIP ranking) and Javi Garrido, number 11: for them, the debut against the Argentinean Ignacio Piotto and the Spaniard Mario Del Castillo. The number 2s are Momo Gonzalez (world number 12) and Edu Alonso (24), who will debut against a pair coming from the qualifiers or lucky losers. Completing the seeded podium will be Argentines Maxi Sanchez and Lucho Capra, who recently returned to play together, with Gonzalo Rubio and Alex Arroyo number 4.

In the women’s draw, also made up of 32 pairs, Virginia Riera and Carmen Goenaga, respectively number 14 and 25 in the FIP ranking, lead the entry list: they will make their debut against a qualified pair. On the other side, Argentina’s Aranzazu Osoro (17) and Spain’s Marta Marrero, recently back on court after maternity leave: they will debut against Italy’s Martina Parmigiani and Spain’s Noemi Aguilar. They are followed by Russia’s Ksenia Sharifova and Spain’s Lucia Martinez Gomez (3) and two more Spaniards, Marina Guinart and Victoria Iglesias (4).

There are many Italian players in the main draw, while waiting for the end of the qualifiers: in the men’s draw, wild card for Giulio Graziotti and Flavio Abbate, who join Denis Perino, Facundo Dominguez (as a pair) and Aris Patiniotis, who is playing with the Spaniard Joseda Sanchez. In the women’s draw, wild cards for Chiara Pappacena (playing with Argentina’s Daiara Valenzuela) and Carolina Petrelli/Emily Stellato, but Carolina Orsi (seeded number 5 with Spanish Nuria Rodriguez), Lorena Vano (with Spanish Julia Polo), Carlotta Casali (also with a Spanish player, Arantxa Soriano) and Giorgia Marchetti, with French Lea Godallier, will also be on the court. Last year, Fede Chingotto and Mike Yanguas won among the men and Lucia Sainz and Patty Llaguno in the women’s draw.