3/27/2010        2010 Italian Junior & Cadet Open - ITTF Premium Junior Circuit

One player on whom eyes are focused at the Italian Junior Open in Lignano, a young man on whom the host country has high hopes, is 14 year old left hander Leonardo Mutti.

Currently competing in the Italian Junior Open, he is justifying the faith that the national coaches have shown in him.On Friday 26th March 2010, partnering Alessandro Baciocchi, the pair won the Cadet Boys’ Team event, beating the Netherlands in the final.

Meanwhile, one day later, in the Cadet Boys’ Singles event, he has remained unbeaten in his group qualification matches to progress to the second stage of proceedings.

No Deciding Game Needed
Without the need for a deciding fifth game he beat Can Akkuzu of France, Hungary’s Adam Szudi and Belgium’s Guillame Drouf.

The results are a continuation of the good form he has shown in the past four months.

Success in Portugal
In December he won the Cadet Boys’ Singles title at the Portuguese Junior Open to bring 2009 to a successful conclusion, a win that was to spark a run of fine performances in 2010 in ITTF Global Junior Programme events.

OIympic Qualification
At the Bahrain Junior Open in Manama, the first ITTF Junior Circuit tournament of the year, he won the Cadet Boys’ Singles crown beating Iran’s Seyed Pourya Omrani in the final whilst, two days later, on Sunday 7th February, he was the runner up to Belgium’s Emilien Vanrosomme in the Youth Olympics Games Qualification tournament in Manama.

Disappointment at not qualifying to compete in the Singapore Youth Olympic Games in Bahrain was only short lived; eight days later in Egypt he won the Youth International Qualification tournament overcoming Poland’s Konrad Kulpa in a tense seven game duel to book his place for Singapore.

Senior Duty
Furthermore, away from junior events, in February he was on duty for the senior Italian Team against Belgium in the Joola European League and the young man, who represents the Sterilgarda club, is certainly ambitious.

“For me at the moment it is a really good time; I think here it has been important that Alessandro Baciocchi and myself won the gold medal in the Cadet Boys’ Team event”, said Leonardo Mutti. “We form a strong pairing I hope we have shown everyone we are a strong team and there are more successes to come.”

Undoubtedly in Lignan, they have been very successful.

Objectives
“My first objectives are Youth European Championships, to gain a place on the podium would be a big result”, added Leonardo Mutti. “Of course the Youth Olympic in Singapore is really big as well.”

Certainly there are mouth watering tournaments ahead and tournaments to motivate any player and in Italy there is one player who is highly motivated.

The name is Alessandro Mutti.