SELVA GARDENA/STARNBERG, October 31, 2026

Giovanni Oradini clearly feels at home in South Tyrol – and his performances on the courts of the region continue to prove it. Following his triumphs at the Sparkasse Alperia Trophy in Bolzano in 2023 and in Wolkenstein in 2024, the 29-year-old Italian has added another title to his collection. On Saturday, the left-hander from Rovereto defeated 18-year-old compatriot Simone Massellani 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the Raiffeisen ITF M15 Val Gardena Südtirol.

The victory marked Oradini’s sixth World Tennis Tour singles title, his third on South Tyrolean soil and his first of the 2026 season.

One break in each set, a dominant serving performance and his greater experience in the crucial moments proved decisive. Oradini struck ten aces without conceding a single one to his opponent. Although he did not always display his usual freedom from the baseline, particularly under pressure, the fourth seed found the right answers whenever the match threatened to become complicated.

That was especially evident in the final game. With Massellani trailing 4-5 in the second set, the teenager received medical treatment during a timeout. Returning to the court, he immediately put Oradini under pressure, earning three break points at 0-40 as the Italian served for the championship. However, Oradini held his nerve, saved all three opportunities and converted his first title-winning chance.

“My serve helped me a lot today. I wasn’t quite as relaxed from the baseline. I was the favourite and really wanted to win,” Oradini explained after the match. “But I was there in the important moments and could rely on my serve.”

Having his family and girlfriend watching from the stands made the triumph even more special. “I feel at home here and really enjoy playing in South Tyrol. The conditions suit my game.”

The title also represents an important milestone following a difficult period in Oradini’s career. A wrist injury had hampered the former world No. 352 over the past two years. Now that he has his physical problems under control, he is looking to work his way back towards the ATP Challenger Tour. His schedule remains busy, however. On Sunday, he was due to return to action with ATA Battisti in Italy’s Serie A1 before travelling to Turin, where he will serve as a hitting partner at the ATP Finals.

Massellani Bids Farewell To Junior Tennis

For Massellani, the final brought an end to an impressive week in Gröden. Although the 18-year-old from Cuneo could not quite reproduce the level of his previous performances, he pushed the more experienced Oradini until the very last game.

“Giovanni served very well. I struggled with that in the first set. In the second, his serve dropped off a little,” Massellani said. In the end, he added, one break in each set had made the difference.

For Italy’s highest-ranked player born in 2008, the tournament in Wolkenstein was his final event of the season and marked the end of his junior career. From February onwards, he plans to focus on the professional circuit, competing in World Tennis Tour M15 and M25 tournaments.

He certainly has an impressive junior résumé to build on. Massellani reached a career-high position of No. 19 in the junior world rankings, competed at all four junior Grand Slam tournaments this year and made the quarter-finals of the US Open.

He has also already had the opportunity to practise with Jannik Sinner. At Wimbledon, Massellani spent an hour hitting with the South Tyrolean ahead of one of his matches. There is another small connection between the two in Gröden: back in 2018, Sinner, then 17, lost the final of the tournament’s inaugural edition to Peter Heller.

Massellani was also 18 when he fell at the final hurdle this time around. It is certainly no reason to be discouraged about what lies ahead.

Plunger And Figl Impress On Home Soil

The local players also enjoyed some notable performances during the week. Manuel Plunger from Partschins reached the semi-finals before being stopped by eventual champion Oradini, who prevailed 6-2, 6-3.

Maximilian Figl of TC Rungg produced a strong performance in the quarterfinals, narrowly losing 7-6(5), 6-4 to second seed Lorenzo Bocchi. Figl also reached the doubles semi-finals alongside Daniel Amarandei.

Third seed Pietro Fellin from Brixen exited in the opening round, but his conqueror was no ordinary opponent. The 18-year-old Massellani edged him 7-5, 7-5 on his way to the final.

Daniel Lechner battled through two qualifying rounds to reach the main draw before a finger injury forced him to retire. Daniel Haller of TC Gherdeina, Fabian Hinteregger of Tennis Brixen and Rungg players Mattia Cona, Kilian Dallapiazza and Daniel Faustini also gained valuable international experience.

David Simoncelli of CT Rovereto celebrated his first two victories at World Tennis Tour level and came close to earning his maiden ATP Ranking point.

International tennis will return to Gröden very soon. Starting on November 22, the spotlight will shift to the women’s game, with two consecutive ITF W50 tournaments scheduled in Ortisei and Wolkenstein. Both events will offer valuable world ranking points as players look to strengthen their positions ahead of the Australian Open.

Singles

Quarterfinals

• Wojciech Marek (POL) – [5] Manuel Plunger (ITA) 4-6, 4-6
• [4] Giovanni Oradini (ITA) – [8] Andrea Colombo (ITA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
• Jake Fellows (USA) – [JR] Simone Massellani (ITA) 4-6, 1-6
• Maximilian Figl (ITA) – [2] Lorenzo Bocchi (ITA) 6-7(5), 4-6

Semi-finals

• [4] Giovanni Oradini (ITA) – [5] Manuel Plunger (ITA) 6-2, 6-3
• [JR] Simone Massellani (ITA) – [2] Lorenzo Bocchi (ITA) 6-3, 6-4

Final

• [4] Giovanni Oradini (ITA) – [JR] Simone Massellani (ITA) 6-3, 6-4

Doubles

Semi-finals

• [1] Jacopo Bilardo/Lorenzo Rottoli (ITA) – Daniel Amarandei/Maximilian Figl (ITA) 6-1, 6-4
• Lorenzo Bocchi/Raffaele Ciurnelli (ITA) – [2] Andrea Colombo/Simone Massellani (ITA) 6-1, 6-3

Final

• [1] Jacopo Bilardo/Lorenzo Rottoli (ITA) – Lorenzo Bocchi/Raffaele Ciurnelli (ITA) 7-5, 6-1