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European Pickleball Championships: the report of our athletes

Posted on by Fabio
08
Jan

The first European Pickleball Championships, organized by the EPF ended on November 24th in Southampton. Twenty fields on which 24 nations battled. In the Italian delegation selected by FITP, also 3 ProKennex athletes: Marcella Cucca, Marcello Bettinelli and Filippo di Gregorio.

An important opportunity for the Italian Pickleball movement which was able to compete, in the women’s, men’s and over 50s open, on par with the best European national teams and to earn the third overall podium, after England and Spain.

Preceded by a pre-tournament also held in Southampton, in which Cucca, Bettinelli and Di Gregorio respectively have won a gold in the women’s doubles, a silver in the over 19s and a bronze in the over 50s, the European Championships confirmed the excellent level reached by Italy in a continuously growing discipline.

Marcella Cucca: “Playing against the best players in Europe helped me a lot to level up. Emotionally , playing for the Italian national team is always something special. Together with Eleana Rodino, in the group of six, we were defeated only in the semi-final by the Spanish (gold winners) and then won the bronze medal, in the final for third and fourth place. We certainly still have to grow up on a tactical level and in pace in the match. For padel and tennis players like me there are some mechanisms that still need to be improved, but the feeling on the pitch was that of truly being able to play with anyone.”

Filippo Di Gregorio: “The call-up to the European Championships in England was the result of a journey that began three years ago, when Pickleball was practically unknown in Italy. I was among the first to become passionate about this sport and, even today, I boast the highest participation in the tournaments promoted by Pickleball Global, also reaching number one in the world in the doubles over 50. In Southampton, three of us took turns in the team and we reached the highest podium in doubles. An incredible satisfaction, also considering the high level of the competition and the strength of national teams such as England and Spain.”

“I played at the European Championships immediately after winning the silver medal in tandem with Pep Giuliano (Team Europe) at the World Pickleball Championship in Mumbai, the previous week.
It was a beautiful three days in Southampton. With the over 19s of the Italian national team, I played the entire group of six and we only gave up in front of England and Austria. Overall, I believe that Italy has achieved an amazing result, considering that many English and Spanish players are already professionals and participate in the most important tournaments in America”, concludes Marcello Bettinelli.

The European Pickleball Championships represented not a point of arrival, but rather a starting point for the entire Italian and international movement. A discipline that has the best features in fun and accessibility to gain a wider following worldwide.

Marcella Cucca, Marcello Bettinelli and Filippo di Gregorio use Black Ace LG.

Discover the entire ProKennex range for Pickleball here.