October 2024
Unity in Competition: A Day of Friendship at the Potter Cup and Two Presidents’ Cup Finals
The players of the Potter Cup and the Two Presidents Cup showed their commitment to the competition on a Saturday when the finals started two hours behind schedule. After 30 minutes of play, matches were stopped due to heavy rain, and the Potter Cup Committee couldn't determine when play would resume. Matches began again at 7:00 p.m., thanks to the significant efforts of the maintenance team at the RC Polo courts, which allowed the men’s and women’s finals to take place.
Despite the weather, the sixteen international club teams maintained the friendly atmosphere for which the competition is known, continuing a tradition that today counts with 51 years. Defending champions IC Spain triumphed over IC Italy with a score of 4 to 1, using a revised format of one pro set per match. IC Spain's Roberto Menendez, a ten-time world champion, secured a win against Stefano Tarallo with a decisive 9 to 5. Lorenzo Pennisi claimed the only victory for IC Italy, defeating Xavier Llucia 9 to 2. Joining Roberto on the victorious Spanish team were Joaquin Muñoz, Jose M. Vicente, Xavi Llucia, and Eduardo Sanz. In the women’s competition, IC Germany emerged victorious against IC Italy. Manon Kruse, a former world champion, alongside Gitte Muller, defeated Agnesse Zuchini and Annalise Bona of IC Italy in singles with a straightforward 2 to 0 victory.
The event kicked off with a clinic featuring players from various nationalities playing alongside special players from the Federación Acell, reinforcing the social and inclusive mission of the competition. Highlights of the social agenda included dinners at RCTB 1899 and an official dinner at RC Polo. During the latter, Mr. Marco Gilardelli, president of the competition, and Mr. Carlos Homedes, president of the Tennis Section of RC Polo, honored Tournament Director Berta Tintore for her contributions as she plans to retire this year.
The tournament benefitted from the support of several organizations, including the Catalan Tennis Federation, the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona, RCTB 1899, the Barcelona City Hall, Lexus Barcelona, La Llave de Oro, Aon, and Daryd.