Barcolana Match Point: Barcolana makes its tennis debut, with the first leg in Cordenons

From the starting line to the tournament draw: for the first time, Barcolana meets tennis with Barcolana Match Point, the new travelling FITP TPRA tournament crossing Friuli Venezia Giulia from Cordenons to Trieste, via San Pier d’Isonzo. The tournament gets under way on Sunday, 20 September at Eurosporting Cordenons, with the first Barcolana event ever to be held in the province of Pordenone, before reaching Trieste on Sunday, 4 October, during the opening weekend of Barcolana58 presented by Generali.

The initiative, organised by Barcolana together with the FITP Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Committee, Eurosporting Cordenons, Circolo Tennis San Pier d’Isonzo and Tennis Club Triestino, stems from a shared feature of two apparently very different sports: the opportunity to bring together, in the same competition, people with different levels of experience and ability. Just as professionals and enthusiasts meet on the starting line of the Coppa d’Autunno, players with different backgrounds can find themselves in the same draw on the FITP TPRA circuit. This parallel lies at the heart of the new project, which brings tennis into the Barcolana programme for the first time.

“When we started thinking about Barcolana Match Point,” said Mitja Gialuz, President of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano, “we realised that tennis and Barcolana already had something in common: the opportunity to bring together people who practise a sport at different levels, united by the same passion. This led to the idea of taking Barcolana onto the tennis courts, together with FITP and the local clubs. We are particularly pleased to be starting in Cordenons: it means reaching the province of Pordenone for the first time and adding a new area to the journey Barcolana is building across Friuli Venezia Giulia. This first edition is a starting point: we want to experiment with a new format and work together to build a project that can grow over future editions of Barcolana.”

“Sport,” commented Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Councillor Markus Maurmair, “is a fundamental tool for health and for the educational development of young people, as well as an important driver of Friuli Venezia Giulia’s attractiveness. Barcolana is a global showcase for our region, and the decision to involve other sports and sporting organisations from across the territory further strengthens this role. Friuli Venezia Giulia has succeeded in making sport a valuable calling card, thanks to the resources invested but, above all, to the skills and commitment of everyone who contributes to organising and promoting it every day, from volunteers to professionals. Barcolana Match Point moves precisely in this direction: it connects Trieste and Pordenone, bringing the region together through sport. I am confident that this first edition will mark the beginning of a journey that will continue to grow and to which the Region will give the attention it deserves.”

“When this initiative was first presented to me,” said Andrea Delle Vedove, Mayor of Cordenons, “my first thought was to wonder what tennis and Barcolana could possibly have in common. In fact, there are many similarities, because sport, across its different disciplines, shares fundamental values and elements such as technique, training and the ability to challenge oneself. We are delighted that this new project is starting here in Cordenons and at Eurosporting, a highly active organisation which, together with Circolo Tennis San Pier d’Isonzo and Tennis Club Triestino, is a key reference point for tennis in the region. Initiatives such as this are important because they bring people closer to sport, encourage social interaction and help build the sense of togetherness that we need, particularly for our young people. Hosting the first leg of Barcolana Match Point once again confirms Cordenons’ ability to play a leading role in major regional sporting events.”

“The idea for this collaboration,” commented Antonio De Benedittis, President of FITP Friuli Venezia Giulia and Senior Vice President of CONI, “was born during the summer, bringing together Barcolana, the most important event in our region, and a Federation that is currently experiencing a period of significant growth. For this ‘year zero’, we chose the TPRA circuit, which has helped bring people closer to tennis and encouraged many players who had practised the sport in the past to return to the court. Barcolana Match Point is therefore not a destination, but the beginning of a journey that we want to make increasingly ambitious. As early as next year, we are considering involving players from higher categories and exploring the possibility of doubles events featuring former and current world-class tennis players. This is the challenge ahead of us: to build on this first experience and further develop the partnership between FITP and Barcolana.”

THE TOURNAMENT – Barcolana Match Point is part of the FITP TPRA circuit, a format that enables players with different levels of experience to compete against one another and which is attracting growing participation across Italy. Each leg features men’s and women’s doubles competitions, open to registered players in accordance with TPRA circuit regulations. Entries are already open and are managed through the TPRA circuit and the clubs’ secretariats. All participants will receive the official Barcolana Match Point T-shirt, created especially for the first edition of the event.

THE THREE LEGS – The tournament begins on Sunday, 20 September at Eurosporting Cordenons. The second event will take place on Sunday, 27 September at Circolo Tennis San Pier d’Isonzo, while the final leg will be held on Sunday, 4 October at Tennis Club Triestino, during the opening weekend of Barcolana58 presented by Generali.

Barcolana Match Point has been conceived as a first experiment, with the aim of growing in future editions and strengthening the relationship between Barcolana and tennis. A new sporting discipline thus joins the programme of an event that, in 2026, is extending its reach even further across Friuli Venezia Giulia, from the sea to the lakes and onto dry land, bringing together different areas and sporting communities.