Lisa Peer Wins Hearts at Home ITF Despite Defeat
23.11.25
The opening day of the Sparkasse ITF Val Gardena Südtirol, with 40,000 dollars in prize money, offered the crowd in the Runggaditsch indoor arena exactly what you would expect from the start of the qualifying rounds: young talents, plenty of pace and only a few real surprises.
At the centre of attention was 17-year-old Lisa Peer, who had entered the tournament with a wild card from the organising club TC Urtijei. The player from Bolzano got off to a flying start, dictating the rallies against Carlotta Moccia (WTA 1,015) and firing several impressive winners past the experienced Italian off both her backhand and forehand. Peer was already in a comfortable lead in the first set, but then lost her rhythm and eventually went down 5–7, 3–6. Moccia visibly struggled with Peer's power tennis, but capitalised on the South Tyrolean’s error count and patiently waited for the “gifts” offered by the still inexperienced local favourite.
Peers coaching team knows exactly what needs to be worked on: the mental side, tactics and shot selection in tight moments. Still, it was clear to everyone in the hall that Peer possesses enormous potential.
Aside from Peer’s performance, the qualifying draw remained largely stable. Only two unseeded players managed to progress: Mavie Österreicher (WTA 1,143) played with great aggression and claimed a surprisingly clear win over wild-card player Marta Lombardini (WTA 947). In the final match of the day, Germany’s Georgina Groth (WTA 1,203) defeated Maddalena Giordano (WTA 832) in three sets.
