At the Top Spin Messina WatchesTogether failed to achieve the feat away againstApuania Carrara in the return final of the men’s Serie A1 championship playoffs. The Tuscans, favorites on the eve and already strong from the success achieved in the first leg at Villa Dante, won 3-0 at the Avenza Palasport, closing the series and becoming Italian champions 2023/2024. For the boys coached by Wang Hong Liang, assisted on the bench by Marcello Puglisi, an authentic tour de force ended, with four matches played in a week between the last day of the regular season and the post-championship addendum for the awarding of the tricolour.
Under the refereeing direction entrusted to Alessandra Faina and Stefano Palagi, in the first singles Matteo Mutti was beaten 3-0 by Tomislav Pucar. After the initial balance (3-3), the Croatian accelerated (9-3), taking the first set 11-4. In the second half the Mantuan brought the situation back to a draw from 5-7 to 7-7, then Pucar took the lead again and prevailed at 10-8 with the help of the tape. The third ended up again in the hands of the host, who jumped from 5-5 to 9-5, to end on the second match point (11-7).
Following, Antonino Amato surpassed with a similar score by Mihai Bobocica. At 10-5 in the first set, the Palermo native saved two set points from the current number 1 in the Italian ranking, losing 11-7. The second recorded Bobocica’s extension from 5-4 to 9-4, up to the final 11-5. In the third Amato was very good at catching his rival from 8-10 to 10-10, canceling two match points. With the advantages, the Top Spin representative responded twice more to Bobocica’s attempts who, however, managed to get through 14-12 to close the game.
Tommaso Giovannetti, whose performance earned applause, only surrendered in the fifth set against Andrej Gacina and Carrara, who only needed a draw, obtained the third seal which earned him the championship. In the first half Gacina started strong (9-4), but the Roman sold his life dearly (11-7), defusing the first two set points at 10-5. Long battle in the second. With the Croatian’s chance gone at 10-9, Giovannetti wasted the first in his favor (11-10), capitalizing as much as possible on the second (13-11). Gacina put the ball back by virtue of the 11-7 hit in a third set that had started well for Giovannetti, who recovered from 4-1 to 4-4. Tie until 7-7, broken by the decisive break (4-0). A splendid Giovannetti brought everything back into balance by leading the fourth set from 5-4 onwards. At 9-6, having conceded two points and seeing the opponent get closer, the time-out proved to be the right choice. When he returned to the court Giovannetti made the two shots to reach 11-8 and postpone the verdict to the fifth. A feat that was almost missed by the Roman player, who often exalted himself against Gacina, because in the final game the Croatian imposed his pace, going 10-4 and converting the second match point (11-5) which brought the curtain down, delivering the seventh title in its history to Apuania Carrara.
The seasonal journey of the Top Spin Messina WatchesTogether ends here. Having played the final for the fifth time in a row, the team of president Giorgio Quartuccio confirmed itself once again this season at the top of national table tennis. A great group and, above all, a great family.
Apuania Carrara-Top Spin Messina WatchesTogether 3-0
Tomislav Pucar-Matteo Mutti 3-0 (11-4, 11-8, 11-7)
Mihai Bobocica-Antonino Amato 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 14-12)
Andrej Gacina-Tommaso Giovannetti 3-2 (11-7, 11-13, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5)
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