World Cup: Italy Rout Sweden 3-0 to Top Group, Face Brazil in Last Eight

Italy's women settled the most anticipated group decider of the FIP World Cup in Doha emphatically. Both teams came into Wednesday's Group C finale unbeaten, but Italy beat Sweden 3-0 to top the group with a perfect record and a quarter-final against Brazil today, Thursday, 5 November.

Sweden, as runners-up, are rewarded with the hardest possible draw: a quarter-final against Spain, winners of Group A and the dominant force in the women's game.

A tie-break the only real resistance

Giulia Dal Pozzo and her partner Marchetti set the tone in the opening rubber with a 6-0, 6-0 win, not conceding a single game. The closest contest came next, when Sussarello and Aima needed a tie-break to take the first set 7-6 before running away with the second 6-0.

Carolina Orsi and Parmigiani completed the sweep with a 6-1, 6-4 victory. After wins over the USA and Egypt on the opening day, it meant Italy's women went through the group stage without losing a single rubber.

Italy's men also topped their group on the same day, although they had to work harder against Brazil. Montiel and Abbate won 6-2, 6-2 and Patiniotis and Graziotti 6-4, 6-3 to secure the tie, before Cassetta and Iacovino lost a dramatic third rubber 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(6) to Palma Flores and Julianoti.

"A new tournament" starts now

Italy's national coach Marcela Ferrari was pleased with the double. "It was a positive day for us: we finish top of the group in both the men's and the women's events," she said, as quoted by Padel Magazine. "In three days Italy have lost only one match, in a third-set tie-break, against Brazil, who are always a very strong national team."

Ferrari was quick to look ahead. From Thursday, she said, "a new tournament begins, with direct elimination."

The opponents in the women's quarter-final are Brazil, who finished second in Group A after a 3-0 defeat to Spain. Spain's Marta Ortega and Ariana Sánchez won 6-1, 6-1, Gemma Triay and Claudia Fernández 6-0, 6-0, and Andrea Ustero and Martina Calvo 6-2, 6-0 in that tie. Brazil still progressed on tie-break criteria.

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Quarter-final schedule

The women's quarter-finals all start at 12:00 Spanish and Italian time. Italy vs Brazil is on Court 5, while Spain vs Sweden is on Grand Stand 1. Argentina meet Portugal on Centre Court, and the Netherlands play France on Grand Stand 2.

The men's quarter-finals follow from 16:00, and they include a second Italy vs Sweden meeting of the week: the Italian men face a Swedish side that reached the last eight of a men's World Cup for the first time. Spain play Brazil, Argentina meet Germany and Portugal take on the Netherlands.

For Sweden's women, who had won their first two group ties, the task is daunting. For Italy, avoiding Spain in the quarter-finals keeps alive the possibility of a semi-final run, with the World Cup finals scheduled for Saturday, 7 November.