Rome, 5 May 2026 – The I Tennis Foundation’s Charity Night came to a close last night at the Circolo Montecitorio in Rome with the graduation ceremony for the international programme ‘Little Tennis Champions for Italy, Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro 2025–26’. This marked one of the most significant moments in the charitable sporting initiative promoted by the Turin-based non-profit organisation, which aims to foster the sporting, educational and personal development of young people with passion and talent but without the financial means to realise their potential
The evening was attended by numerous leading figures from Italian and international tennis, including Simone Tartarini (Lorenzo Musetti’s coach), Renzo Furlan (currently working with Filippo Nardi but previously guiding Jasmine Paolini to the finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon), Gipo Arbino (long-time coach of Lorenzo Sonego), Damiano Fiorucci (Musetti’s fitness coach), Matteo Donati (coach of promising Italian player Tyra Grant), Fabio Chiappini (coach of Mattia Bellucci) and Claudio Pistolesi (former coach of, among others, Monica Seles, Robin Söderling, Simone Bolelli and Davide Sanguinetti). The event was hosted by journalist Stefano Meloccaro.
The twelve scholarship recipients for the 2025–26 programme were then presented with their awards: for Italy, Ianis Alberto Cruceru, Davide Dagnino, Paolo Toscano, Antonia Stephany Bondoc, Maria Chiara Forgione, Demetra Mazzarella and Carolina Pacini; for Albania, Arber Dano; for Kosovo, Anesa Ismajli; for Montenegro: Ljubisa Krulj, Petar Stankovic and Nadja Knezevic.
During the evening, the I Tennis Foundation conferred honorary membership upon two prominent figures in Italian tennis: Renzo Furlan, Stefano Cobolli and Matteo Donati. Their names join a prestigious list that over the years has included champions and leading figures such as Steffi Graf, Ivan Ljubicic, Francesca Schiavone, Lorenzo Musetti, Flavio Cobolli, Lorenzo Sonego, Matteo Arnaldi, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Omar Camporese and Lucia Bronzetti.
“This evening marks the most exciting moment in a journey that has lasted a whole year,” explained Simone Bongiovanni, co-founder of the I Tennis Foundation, project team manager and mental coach for the programme. “Our 12 scholarship holders have shown dedication, commitment and extraordinary growth, both technically and mentally. Our aim is to offer real opportunities to those with talent and dreams to pursue. The results achieved confirm the value of the project. A special thank you goes to our partners, coaches and champions who continue to enthusiastically support the association’s activities”.
Renzo Furlan, who reached a career-high ATP ranking of 19 as a player and has guided Jasmine Paolini to the pinnacle of world tennis with her appearances in the 2025 Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals, said: “I know how much dedication it takes to support these young players, who are repaying you not only with their results, but above all with their daily commitment. I truly hope this project can continue for as long as possible, because investing in young talent is essential. Perhaps by continuing to ride the extraordinary wave this sport is experiencing thanks to our great champions.”
Special awards were also presented to the scholarship recipients: “Achievement of the Year” to Ianis Cruceru and Antonia Bondoc, “Fair Play and Academic Commitment” to Maria Chiara Forgione, and “Scholarship Recipient of the Year” to Nadja Knezevic.
The Charity Night marked the start of a week of training activities in Rome, which will involve the young athletes in technical sessions, meetings with coaches and professionals, mental training and participation in the Tennis Europe Supercategory U16 at the Foro Italico, scheduled from 11 to 17 May.
Among the key figures of the week is Gipo Arbino, the coach who guided Lorenzo Sonego to a career-high ATP ranking of No. 21 and who now coaches Filippo Romano (born in 2005), who is competing in the main draw of the doubles at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
