ROME (ITALPRESS) – After Simone Alessio’s gold, Ilenia Matonti also leaves her mark at the Fujairah Open 2025. The Italian won the bronze medal in the -53 kg, inaugurating the new four-year period with a convincing pre-station. Matonti began her journey by overcoming Lojain Ahmed (Saudi Arabia) with authority by 2 rounds to 0 in the round of 16. In the quarters, in the Italian derby against Elisa Al Halwani, she again wins with a clear 2-0 victory. In the semifinals, she faced Iran’s Mobina Nematzadeh in a hard-fought match, without being able to find the decisive cue to enter the final. However, the third place remains a good starting point for the season. “The first competition of the year is always complicated, because you start again after the winter preparation and you have to find the right rhythm. There is still a lot of work to do, but competing in tournaments at this level is crucial to get ready for the most important event of the season, the World Cup in October,” Matonti said.In addition to Elisa Al Halwani, who stopped in the quarterfinals after her clash with Matonti, three other Azzurri women came close to the medal zone: Natalia D’Angelo (-67 kg), Giulia Galiero (-46 kg) and Giada Al Halwani (-57 kg) ended the tournament in the quarterfinals, coming close to the podium.With Simone Alessio’s (-87 kg) gold and Dennis Baretta’s (-63 kg), Mattia Molin’s (+87 kg) and Ilenia Matonti’s (-53 kg) bronzes, Italy closes the Fujairah Open with four podiums overall. The first competition of the year, which marks the beginning of the path to Los Angeles 2028, thus already offers positive indications for the Italian movement.- photo FederTaekwondo Press Office -(ITALPRESS).
