A final nobody expected, but one everyone has earned
29.11.25
In the high-altitude charm of Ortisei, a concluding act unfolds that is surprising only on paper: Kayla Cross versus Eva Guerrero Álvarez (tomorrow, Saturday, from 10 a.m.). At the Sparkasse ITF Val Gardena Alto Adige, two players reach the finish line who, far from the spotlight, have worked hard and refined their form until they have become the most logical names of the moment.
Anyone squinting into the light in Ortisei understands why straight away: Cross and Guerrero Álvarez have been building momentum in recent weeks and now shine among the Dolomites. The Canadian arrived here riding the tailwind of her results in Chihuahua, confirmed point after point also in Val Gardena. The Spaniard, meanwhile, has ridden the inertia of her A1 success with AT Verona to show, once again, that she knows how to conduct play like a seasoned director on quick courts.
At 20, the North American comes off a semi-final and a final in two $40,000 tournaments in Mexico, and in the heart of the Ladin valley she has continued to march as if her GPS were locked on the finish line. The 26-year-old Iberian, last Sunday, edged out Camilla Zanolini of TC Rungg in A1 only thanks to a third set played with a knife between her teeth (7–6), while before that she had reached a semi-final in Funchal and danced through three rounds to the last 16 at the WTA 125 in Rovereto. A journey that brings her, step by step, back along the road towards Slam main draws.
Guerrero Álvarez knows “big” tennis well: she has already tasted the Majors five times, even winning a match before bowing out to Sara Errani. In Ortisei – and next week in Selva – she plays for heavy points: she wants to stay attached to the train heading towards Australian Open qualifying. She serves big, attacks early, keeps pace and clarity: the perfect profile of someone who feels she can return to the fringes of the top 200.
Cross, in her big semi-final, dispatched Britain’s 18-year-old Mimi Xu with a crisp 6–4, 6–4, relying on her two favourite weapons: getting everything back and hitting without fear. Shortly afterwards, Guerrero Álvarez tamed third seed Francisca Jorge 6–4, 6–2, and in her post-match comments spoke like a veteran: “I served well, kept up the pace and cut down the errors. I need to score as many points as possible to have a chance Down Under.” The calm of someone who knows exactly what she wants.
Cross described her tennis creed with the simplicity of a handbook: “I wanted to get one more ball back than my opponent, without losing aggressiveness.” Left-handed, with a venomous wide serve and surgical precision in opening the court: qualities she combines with solid nerves, also in doubles.
And doubles delivered a small masterpiece.
Cross and Anna Rogers claimed the title with a double 7–6 (4), 7–6 (7), despite letting leads slip in both sets. On the other side of the net, young Italians Samira De Stefano and Giulia Maduzzi played with an open mind, shook the favourites and showed that courage and freedom often count almost as much as experience. De Stefano, left-handed, with a whip of pure power; Maduzzi, soft hands and textbook volleys.
Rogers then praised the atmosphere, the valley and the Dolomite embrace, delighted to have landed in South Tyrol straight from Mexico. Cross, after two gruelling weeks, paid for a bit of fatigue but gritted her teeth: a clear sign that she now pairs her talent with real mental toughness. The Italians bowed out with a blend of disappointment and gratitude: “We’ve been playing together since we were children,” Maduzzi recalled, “and we really enjoyed ourselves here.”
During the prize-giving ceremony, tournament director Martina Moser led proceedings with elegance, while FITP Alto Adige president Marco Cordaro highlighted how important such events are for the region. And while Cross goes hunting for a double title on Saturday from 10 a.m., the tennis caravan doesn’t stop.
Because on Sunday everything is packed up and moved a few kilometres away: destination Selva, where TC Gherdeina hosts another $40,000 event, the richest in Italy and followed by many of the players who have just competed in Ortisei. The level remains sky-high, and with Laura Mair and sisters Lisa and Julia Peer, South Tyrolean tennis once again gets its hands back into the mix.
In short, Val Gardena fires up its engines for the second consecutive week and serves fans a winter special with an extra twist. Tennis lovers have found their happy place.
