Italy's Men Secure Final Spot; Spain Eyes All-Spanish Women's Duel

The Mediterranean Games padel competition enters its penultimate day in Taranto on Thursday with two sets of semifinals carrying the potential for historic national storylines: Italy is already guaranteed a place in the men's gold-medal match, while Spain could line up against itself in an unprecedented all-Spanish women's showdown.

Italy's Azzurro Derby: a Final Is Already Secured

Wednesday's quarterfinals completed the men's last-eight and delivered a result that has set the home crowd at Parco Salinella alight. Both Italian pairs advanced to the last four, mathematically securing Italy a gold-medal match appearance regardless of Thursday's all-Azzurro semi-final outcome.

Flavio Abbate and Álvaro Montiel Caruso — the third seeds — swept past France's Bastien Blanque and Dylan Guichard 6-2, 6-4. Hours later, Marco Cassetta and Simone Iacovino — seeded sixth — overcame Egypt's Georges Wakim and Youssef Hossam 6-4, 6-2. Egypt had caused the tournament's biggest shock by eliminating top seeds Guille Collado and Pol Hernández in the round of sixteen; Cassetta and Iacovino ended their run emphatically to complete the Italian double.

The two Italian pairs now meet on Centre Court. The winner earns the right to fight for gold; the loser is already confirmed in the bronze-medal match. Either outcome gives Italy its first-ever men's medal at the Mediterranean Games. Their opponent in Friday's final will come from the other semi-final: Spain's José Antonio Diestro and David Gala — 2025 European champions — against Portugal's brothers Nuno and Miguel Deus. An additional subplot: Abbate and Montiel defeated Diestro and Gala in the FIP Silver final in Alcalá de Guadaíra last July, so a rematch in Friday's gold-medal match is firmly on the table.

Spain Could Set Up an All-Spanish Women's Final

The women's draw offers an equally dramatic prospect. Spain placed two pairs in the semifinals after Jimena Velasco and Nuria Rodríguez dismantled France's Steffi Merah and Charlotte Soubrie 6-1, 6-1 on Wednesday, joining compatriots Patricia Llaguno and Lucía Sainz in the final four.

The other Wednesday quarter-final was claimed by Portugal's top seeds Sofía Araújo and Ana Catarina Nogueira, who beat Italy's Carlotta Casali and Giulia Dal Pozzo 6-3, 6-3 to keep the Iberian nations dominant in the women's draw.

Thursday's women's semi-finals pit Italy's Giorgia Marchetti and Carolina Orsi (seeded 4) against Spain's Llaguno and Sainz (seeded 2), while Portugal's Araújo and Nogueira (seeded 1) face Spain's Velasco and Rodríguez (seeded 3). Should both Spanish pairs win, the first women's gold medal in Mediterranean Games padel history will be decided between two Spanish teams — a scenario that seemed unlikely before the draw was even made.

Mixed Doubles: France and Italy Fight for the Final

The day's mixed semi-final places France against Italy — a fixture that is expected to draw the largest crowd of the day at the venue. Italy's mixed pair cruised through their quarter-final 6-0, 6-0 against Kosovo's Donika Bashota and Lavdrim Krasniqi, and will carry the full weight of home expectation into Thursday's match.

Super Friday Awaits

All three finals — mixed, women's and men's — are scheduled for Friday 28 August at Parco Mediterraneo Salinella, broadcast live across 244 countries and territories. Bronze-medal matches run in the morning before the medal ceremonies begin. With Italy already owning a guaranteed men's podium place and Spain holding two shots at women's gold, padel is writing one of Taranto 2026's most compelling chapters before a single semifinal ball is struck on Day 6.