Barcolana’s new Match Point tournament brings amateur men’s and women’s doubles tennis into the festival, with events culminating in Trieste on 4 October.
Barcolana is adding tennis to its 2026 programme with Match Point, a travelling FITP TPRA men’s and women’s doubles tournament that moves through Cordenons and San Pier d’Isonzo before reaching Trieste on 4 October. The idea deliberately connects two sports that look very different but can both support mixed levels of amateur participation.
For visitors, the new tournament adds another shore-based activity to a festival already spreading across sailing, swimming, paddling, culture and public events. It strengthens the idea of Barcolana as a regional lifestyle week rather than a single Sunday regatta.
The tournament travels towards the waterfront
Match Point starts at Eurosporting Cordenons before moving through Friuli Venezia Giulia and ending in Trieste during Barcolana’s opening weekend. That travelling format carries the festival identity inland before bringing players and spectators back towards the sea.
It also gives communities outside Trieste a direct role in the programme. A major coastal event can have a wider regional impact when participation is not limited to people who already own or race boats.
Different sports can share the same social model
Barcolana says one link between sailing and tennis is the ability to bring people with different levels of experience into the same competitive environment. Club sailing works in a similar way, with serious racers and social participants often sharing facilities, events and volunteer networks.
Doubles tennis also depends on communication and partnership, themes that are familiar on a small sailing boat. The equipment is different, but the social attraction of learning with other people and returning to a club environment is comparable.
A broader festival gives families more choice
Not everyone travelling with a sailing crew wants to watch racing for an entire weekend. Adding activities such as tennis, swimming, music and literature gives partners, children and friends more reasons to enjoy the destination at the same time.
LBG Lifestyle can use stories like Match Point to show what makes a boating event worth travelling for. The strongest festivals are often those where the boat creates the journey, while the destination provides enough variety to make the whole trip memorable.
Source
Barcolana