Nuovo spettacolo Graziotti/Abbate: il terzo tris internazionale a Nola
Three international titles in 43 days? Yes, it can be done, even if the surnames printed on the identity cards are not Coello and Tapia, but Abbate and Graziotti. The circuit changes, as Premier Padel gives way to the Cupra FIP Tour, but the enthusiasm remains the same, literally allowing the new Italian pair led by Emanuele “Lele” Fanti to work miracles. Flavio and Giulio had already won in March in Lithuania, then on the eve of Easter in England, and a couple of weeks later here is the hat-trick, with a new victory with the taste of triumph in the FIP Rise in Nola, the first international event of 2024 in Italy, as well as the first historic event of the FIP circuit in Campania.
The organizers built a quality tournament, meticulously curated, and the two Italians took it by storm, reaffirming their ability to reach performance peaks never explored before by any Italian pair. This is evidenced by the ever-increasing level of opponents they manage to beat: people who are too strong for other top Italian players but not for them, who have been playing together for a few months but have already found a fantastic synergy, both in the game and from a human perspective.
Because otherwise a comeback from a 6-2 4-1 disadvantage like the one achieved in the final in Nola becomes impossible to complete, especially when on the other side of the net is a super player like Italy’s number one – and top-50 in the FIP ranking – Denis Perino, paired with Argentine Demian Cuello for the occasion. They had eliminated (in the quarterfinals) the favorites number one Gonzalez/Bautista, and about forty minutes after the start of the final they seemed to already have the title in hand. But the game of Abbate and Graziotti was just beginning.