IC Italy retains Potter Cup trophy

IC Italy has successfully defended the Potter Cup trophy after a weekend of high quality senior competition at the RC Polo in Barcelona.

The final match saw the reigning champions brush aside the challenge of the United States with a 4-1 win to collect the title for a seventh time.

In the top half of the draw, Italy had advanced to the final after a thrillingly close 4-3 win over hosts Spain in a repeat of the 2011 final and a match between the two winners of each title since 2009. Spain had beaten Luxembourg 5-0 in their opening match (the top seeded Italians received a bye) but were edged to defeat by the narrowest of margins as Simone Galli/Guido Padovani beat Carlos Costa/David De Miguel 6-3 6-7(4) (11-9) in the final rubber.

Runners-up in two of the three previous editions of the tournament, the USA advanced to another final with a straight-forward 4-1 victory over Great Britain in the other semi-final. Their opening matches saw USA beat Belgium 5-0 and Great Britain upset second seeds France 4-3.

Spain beat Great Britain 4-1 to claim third place, while France beat Luxembourg for fifth and sixth position respectively.

Once again, the flagship International Clubs senior event saw a wealth of talent taking part. Former Roland Garros finalist Mikael Pernfors anchored the US team while Spain’s Alex Lopez Moron was a successful ATP player. IC France’s Patrick Vergnes was unbeaten at the last ITF Seniors World Team Championships, while Italy’s Enrico Cassadei is a former ITF World Individual Champion. The three set semi-final rubber between Cassadei and Lopez Moron – eventually won by the Spaniard - was regarded by many spectators as one of the finest matches in Potter Cup history.

As always, the Potter Cup featured a social element, with the players enjoying a gala dinner during the event. Many of the players also took time out to participate in a clinic in which they took to the court alongside Acell Federation players affected by learning disabilities.

Full results from the competition can be found below.