This Saturday was the long-awaited final of the FIP Rise Marassi Open. The confrontation pitted the pair Jérémy Scatena / Adrian Mercadal, seeded 1, and Youssef Hossam / Matias Nicoletti, seeded 3. Having managed to qualify in extremis this morning against the pair Long live / Seurin, Scatena and Mercadal were more determined than ever as they walked the 20x10 pitch this afternoon.

Scatena and Mercadal take the lead

From the start of the match, the Franco-Spanish pair displayed impressive mastery. Evolving with ease, Scatena and Mercadal quickly took the lead thanks to solid play. The experience of the two partners was evident throughout this first round, allowing them to win the first set with a score of 6/4.

A nice comeback, but insufficient

The local, Youssef Hossam, and his Italian partner, Matias Nicoletti, had not yet said their last word. After a well-deserved break, the two players accelerated the game. Under a blazing sun, the Italian-Egyptian pair took over the reins of the match by taking the lead in the second set. Very quickly, they were leading 5/2. However, nothing to panic for Adrian Mercadal and Jérémy Scatena, who, all smiles, managed to equalize. Little by little, the Frenchman and his teammate came back to 5/5 and made a very good comeback. However, this effort was not enough; in a last dash, the Hossam/Nicoletti pair won 7/5.

A tense finish

Stung, Jérémy Scatena and Adrian Mercadal were determined not to start the third set like the previous one. Reduced by the heat, the two players gave a new rhythm to their shots. More aggressive, they took the lead, leading 2-1. On the return from the bench, it is Mercadal, the Spaniard, who serves and allows his team to make the hole. Confident, the duo played an efficient game, reducing the number of unforced errors and overwhelming their opponents further. But it was without counting on the determination of Youssef Hossam and Matias Nicoletti, who managed to reduce the gap, returning to 4/3.

In the end, Jérémy Scatena and Adrian Mercadal seemed more complete and logically won this final. Final score: 6/4, 5/7, 6/4.

Sebastien Carrasco

Future naturopath and passionate about padel, Seb is the health/food gentleman of Padel Magazine. He juggles between pala, quinoa and essential oils. For almost two years now he has been dealing with the news of the little yellow ball with the same passion.

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