Road to Bologna 2026 Regional Masters in Oppido Mamertina: Calabria's pickleball finals

Tennis Club Oppido «Gianni Caruso» · Oppido Mamertina, Costa Viola, Calabria

7 November 2026 – 8 November 2026

On Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November 2026 the Tennis Club Oppido «Gianni Caruso», on Corso Aspromonte in Oppido Mamertina (Reggio Calabria), hosts the Regional Masters of Road to Bologna 2026, the national pickleball circuit run by the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP) within its TPRA amateur programme. Five draws are played: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. Entry is for the best-placed players in the circuit's provincial rankings, FITP Pickleball members rated 2.3 or lower, with a competitive or non-competitive card. Play starts with round-robin groups, sets to 11 points, followed by a knockout draw with sets to 15. The finalists of each draw qualify for the National Masters in Bologna, scheduled for 24-26 November during the 2026 Davis Cup Finals. Draws, fees and order of play are published on tpra.fitp.it. Information: Emanuele Costa, +39 393 905 1615; coordinator Andrea Giuseppe Sarica, +39 334 836 5025.

Road to Bologna 2026 regional finals in Oppido Mamertina

On Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November 2026 the courts of the Tennis Club Oppido «Gianni Caruso», on Corso Aspromonte in Oppido Mamertina, host the Regional Masters of Road to Bologna 2026, the national pickleball circuit organised by the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP) as part of its TPRA amateur programme.
After a season of qualifying tournaments, Oppido stages the Calabrian finals: five draws over two days, with places at the National Masters in Bologna, played during the Davis Cup Finals, at stake. The club already knows the circuit: on 5 and 6 September it hosted a 1000-point qualifying stage.

Who plays the Regional Masters

Road to Bologna 2026 is open to FITP Pickleball members holding a competitive or non-competitive card and rated 2.3 or lower: the poster lists ratings from N.C. (unrated) to 2.3. The Regional Masters, however, is not open to every member, because entry goes to those who collected the most points during the season.
Under the circuit rules, the top four of each category in every provincial ranking qualify; in case of a tie, all players level on points within the top four get in, and withdrawals are replaced by moving down the provincial ranking. In the doubles, qualified players can pick a partner from the regional ranking of the same discipline. The reference rankings were frozen on 11 October 2026. The FITP Regional Committee may set different entry criteria within federal guidelines, as long as the criteria for the National Masters stay the same.

Five draws, groups and a knockout stage

Each discipline has its own page on the TPRA portal, where entries, draws and the order of play are published:
Men's singles: tournament page
Women's singles: tournament page
Men's doubles: tournament page
Women's doubles: tournament page
Mixed doubles: tournament page
Play opens with a round-robin group stage, with matches of one set to 11 points won by two, and continues with a knockout draw where the set is played to 15. Matches are on hard courts. The fee shown on the portal is 15 euros for one draw and 25 euros for players entering both singles and doubles; prizes go to the top two in each draw.

From Oppido to the National Masters in Bologna

The Regional Masters is the last step before Bologna. In the singles, the rules send both finalists of every Regional Masters to the National Masters, together with the leader of the regional ranking when the circuit closes; in the doubles, the finalist pairs qualify along with the leader of each regional doubles ranking, who chooses a partner from the regional ranking. The semi-finalists are the reserves: first the one who lost to the winner, then the other.
According to the poster, the National Masters runs from 24 to 26 November 2026 in Bologna, during the same days as the Davis Cup Finals, which give the circuit its name. Players who qualify in more than two draws can play in two at most.

Pickleball in a nutshell

Pickleball is played with solid paddles, without strings, and a perforated plastic ball, on a court the size of a doubles badminton court and with a net lower than a tennis net. Serves are underhand, and close to the net there is a strip, the non-volley zone, where the ball cannot be struck in the air: rallies are built on soft, accurate shots rather than power.
In TPRA tournaments the scoring changes with the stage, as in Oppido: short sets to 11 points in the groups and to 15 in the knockout draw, always won by two. The sport draws players coming from tennis and padel as well as people picking up a paddle for the first time, which is why the federation has given it a national circuit within its amateur programme.

TC Oppido «Gianni Caruso» and its autumn of sport

The Tennis Club Oppido «Gianni Caruso» has been active since the mid-1970s and plays on the municipal courts of Corso Aspromonte. Alongside its tennis school and the August «Città di Oppido Mamertina» National Tournament, the club has opened its courts to pickleball, first with the September Road to Bologna stage and now with the regional finals.
November continues with tennis: from 20 to 22 November the club hosts the Prequali IBI27, the TPRA circuit linked to the 2027 Internazionali BNL d'Italia. For players in the Gioia Tauro plain that makes two weekends of federal tournaments close to home.

Getting to Oppido Mamertina and what to see

Oppido Mamertina is reached from the A2 Mediterranean motorway, leaving at Rosarno or Gioia Tauro and climbing from the plain towards the Aspromonte. The nearest railway station is Gioia Tauro, about seventeen kilometres away; Reggio Calabria airport is around sixty kilometres away.
Between matches there is time to see the town: about two kilometres from the centre lie the ruins of Oppido Vecchia, the town abandoned after the 1783 earthquake and now an archaeological park, while the rebuilt centre has piazza Duomo, the cathedral and the MuDOP diocesan museum. Cafés, restaurants and places to stay are listed on the Oppido Mamertina businesses page.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Road to Bologna Regional Masters in Oppido Mamertina?

On Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November 2026. The poster gives no times: matches follow the order of play published on the tpra.fitp.it portal.

Where is the tournament held?

At the Tennis Club Oppido «Gianni Caruso», Corso Aspromonte SNC, 89014 Oppido Mamertina (Reggio Calabria), on hard courts.

Who can take part in the Regional Masters?

Players who qualified through the provincial rankings of the Road to Bologna 2026 circuit: under the rules, the top four in each category, FITP Pickleball members rated up to 2.3 with a competitive or non-competitive card. The Regional Committee may set different criteria; for details, contact the organisers.

Which draws are on the programme?

Five: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles, each with its own page on tpra.fitp.it.

What is the match format?

A round-robin group stage with matches of one set to 11 points won by two, followed by a knockout draw with sets to 15 points.

Who qualifies for the National Masters in Bologna?

The finalists of each singles draw and the finalist pairs of each doubles draw, together with the leader of each regional ranking when the circuit closes. The semi-finalists are the reserves.

When is the National Masters played?

According to the poster, from 24 to 26 November 2026 in Bologna, during the 2026 Davis Cup Finals.

Who should I contact for information?

Emanuele Costa, the tournament manager, on +39 393 905 1615, or the coordinator Andrea Giuseppe Sarica on +39 334 836 5025.

Related events and news

All Costa Viola events