A French coach in the main draw of the Italy Major thanks to the superb qualification of Koek / Sanchez

Although no French player qualified for the men's main draw of the Italy Major A Frenchman will nevertheless be represented in Rome: Alexandre Prevert .

The French coach has been working with the Dutch woman for several months. Marcella Koek , who just delivered one of the best performances of these qualifiers alongside the Spaniard Ana Cristina Sanchez .

A qualification snatched after a spectacular comeback

Unseeded at the start of qualifying, Koek and Sanchez have already pulled off a major upset by eliminating the No. 6 seed. Ana Dominguez and Paula Delgado .

But the biggest upset came in the second round against the No. 2 seed from qualifying. Natividad Lopez and Victoria Kurz .

Conducted 7 / 6 3 / 0 The Dutch and Spanish players seemed on the verge of elimination. However, they completely reversed the momentum of the match, winning twelve consecutive games to secure the victory. 6/7 6/4 6/0 .

A victory that confirms their qualification for the main draw of the second Major of the season.

A great opportunity to continue the adventure

In the first round of the main draw, Koek and Sanchez will face another team from the qualifiers: Lucia Peralta Exposito and Maria Laura Ferreyra .

A rather favorable draw on paper which could open the doors to the round of 32 for them.

And in the event of another victory, a clash could await them against the No. 16 seeds, composed of... Alix Collombon and Ksenia Sharifova .

Alexandre Prévert recounts the behind-the-scenes story of the project

For Alexandre Prévert, this qualification is the culmination of work that began at the start of the year.

“I started the season with Marcella Koek. Initially, I was coaching Carla Fitó during the preseason and had suggested Marcella as a partner for her new project. Unfortunately, Carla got injured and we continued working with Marcella.”

The French coach then accompanied the Dutch player to several tournaments, including the Asian tour.

"We played in several tournaments together. There were some good things, but not necessarily the results we were hoping for. We weren't there just to maintain our ranking."

Ana Cristina Sanchez was then the obvious choice.

"Marcella and I felt that Ana was one of the best options available. Her playing style, energy, commitment, and work ethic were a perfect fit for the project."

The gamble seems to have already paid off. After knocking out the No. 6 seed and then the No. 2 seed in qualifying, Koek and Sanchez now find themselves in the main draw of a Major.

A reward for the duo, but also for the work done behind the scenes by the French coach, who will see his project continue on the biggest stage of world padel.

Benjamin Dupouy

I discovered padel directly during a tournament, and frankly, I didn't really like it at first. But the second time, it was love at first sight, and since then, I haven't missed a single match. I'm even ready to stay up until 3am to watch a final of Premier Padel !