It’s been a memorable day for Team Calcagni, starring Carlo Calcagni, Colonel of the Role of Honor of the Italian Army, Victim of Duty and Mutilated for Service, who triumphed in Paris in the International Grand Prix of France bringing the flag of Italy to the podium, and Alessandro Patrono, who won the success in the 11th Genoese Valleys Cycling Rally, seizing the first overall victory of a career of more than 30 years.

A feat the result of passion, sacrifice and love, which Alessandro Patrono, 51, wanted to dedicate this feat to those who made this dream possible: “To my uncle Mimino, Cosimo Strafella from Salice Salentino (Lecce), who taught me how to pedal, who has been a father, brother and friend. To Colonel Carlo Calcagni, who welcomed me into his team and every day, with his example, teaches us what it means not to give up”.

“To my coach Davide Podestà, with whom we turned a game into a feat. To my friend Irish, who in 2022 believed in me when I no longer wanted to believe. And above all…to my Dad. Today, in the final turn, I felt a mysterious push, like a hand on my back. It was him. I saw him, I felt him. This victory is for you, Papa”.

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Those of Carlo Calcagni and Alessandro Partrono are two victories in two different places, united by the strength of love, the value of memory, and the motto “Never give up, despite everything and everyone, no matter what the cost”.

From inconstant talent to slam-level certainty the step, for Alexander Bublik, was certainly not a short one, but in the 2025 edition of the Paris tournament the Kazakh decided to continue to surprise: in fact, beating Jack Draper, number 5 in the world, in four sets, the 27-year-old qualified for the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, thus already reaching his best result in one of the four most important tournaments on the professional circuit.

5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 was the score in Bublik’s favor, for a total of two hours and thirty-five minutes of play.

After a very balanced first set and a difficult start in the second, Bublik took the lead, conceding little or nothing to his highly-rated opponent who did not need to take the lead after the first set to put pressure on his opponent.

Bublik, now, awaits the last scheduled round of 16, the one between world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and Russia&#8217s Andrey Rublev: not an easy match for the South Tyrolean, who has played nine matches against the Russian, winning six and losing three, with a record of two wins and one loss in the 2024 season, where Rublev was one of the few to beat Sinner in a triumphant year for the latter.

As far as Bublik is concerned, there are four previous meetings with Jannik Sinner, with three wins by the South Tyrolean and one by the Kazakh, dating back to the last precedent, the quarterfinals of the Halle tournament in 2023. Against Rublev, on the other hand, Bublik has played eight times at ATP Tour level, with five wins for the Russian and three for the Kazakh: the tally does not take into account a previous minor-level match in 2016, with Bublik beating Rublev in two sets in Moscow in a Future tournament.

The national soccer team coached by Luciano Spalletti will not be able to count on Manuel Locatelli for the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Norway (Friday, June 6 away) and Moldova (Monday, June 9 at home). The Juventus midfielder has in fact decided, together with the Azzurri medical staff, to return home to treat the right ankle sprain suffered in Sunday’s training.

The decision was confirmed late in the afternoon, after the 1998-born player had undergone medical examinations to preliminarily assess the’extent of the injury. It is therefore the third name that Luciano Spalletti is forced to remove from the list of summoned players, after that of Alessandro Buongiorno (replaced by Luca Ranieri) and that of Francesco Acerbi, by personal choice of the interista.

The national team will face Norway in Oslo, at the Ullevaal Stadion, on Friday at 8:45 p.m. The Norwegians, who have missed the World Cup since 1998, won their first two qualifying matches against Moldova 5-0 and Israel 4-2. It is precisely the Moldovans who will be Italy&#8217s second opponents on Monday at the Mapei Stadium-Città del Tricolore in Reggio Emilia, also at 8:45 p.m.: after the drubbing against Haaland and co., the national team from the former Soviet republic lost at home to Estonia, 3-2.

Italy is still at zero games played in Group I because, while the first two days were going on, the Azzurri were engaged in the Nations League quarterfinals against Germany. Spalletti’s men&#8217s goal is to get into gear right away, to avoid further bitter surprises and regain a qualification they have been sending since the 2014 edition of the rainbow tournament.