Italian World Cup winner Marco Materazzi joined players and iGaming delegates at SiGMA World in Rome as the Bloko Padel Tour brought its first season to a close on 4 November.

Materazzi attended the Grand Finale as an official ambassador for the series. The sporting programme also featured former Formula 1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella, who took part in an exhibition match on 3 November. Blokotech turned Pavilion 9 into a padel venue for the event, installing a competition court and providing space for delegates to watch the matches and meet between sessions.

Materazzi highlighted the “passion and energy” at the finale and said he had enjoyed seeing the players compete and build friendships over the course of the tour.

Two pairs take the honours in Rome

Rommel Bucheli and Edu Molina won the Beginner competition, finishing ahead of Yosef Kamel and Ronaldo Molina. In the Advanced draw, Borja Jimenez and Francisco Amat took the title, with Nicolas Castearena and Andres Troelsen finishing runners-up.

The results capped a season that included stops in Buenos Aires, Malta, Miami and Mexico City. Rome’s padel programme continued on 5 November with One Point by Blokotech, a separate competition built around single-point contests.

Blokotech co-founder and CEO Salvatore Messina congratulated the champions and said the tour had given the industry a chance to compete and build relationships outside the conference setting.

The tour returns with SiGMA in 2027. It opens at ICE Barcelona on 18 January, followed by Buenos Aires on 15 March, São Paulo on 5 April, Malta on 3 May and Mexico City, before returning to Rome. Both draws will award ranking points towards finale qualification. Enter the Barcelona tournament individually or as a pair.