Meet Marianna Petrei: The Italian Tennis Player Who Made the Quarterfinals in Her First Pro PPA Event
Marianna Petrei, a 27-year-old former Division 1 tennis star, recently made waves by reaching the quarterfinals in her first professional event, the Picklr PPA Utah Open.
Born in Udine, a picturesque city nestled in the mountains of northeastern Italy, Marianna grew up surrounded by pine forests and serene lakes.
Marianna (pronounced "Mary-Anna") was immersed in sports from a young age. She began with gymnastics, influenced by her mother, Lorenza, who supported her early athletic aspirations. Her parents, Lorenza and Giuseppe, were avid tennis players, which naturally led Marianna to pick up a racket herself around the age of nine or ten.
Youth Tennis Career
Once Marianna started playing tennis, she never looked back. Competing in local tournaments around Udine, she quickly expanded her reach to other regions of Italy and eventually to international competitions across Europe.
In 2013, at 16, Marianna competed in ITF Junior events throughout Europe. Her most significant progress came during her three years at the Perin Memorial, a Grade 1 tournament in Umag, Croatia—a prestigious event for junior tennis players.
Here’s a look at her performance at the Perin Memorial:
- March 2012: Loss – Rd1 of Qualifying
- March 2013: Qualified for the Main Draw, losing in the 1st round after three qualifying wins
- March 2014: Reached the 3rd round of the Main Draw
Throughout high school, Marianna juggled junior and ITF women’s tournaments, competing in Italy, Croatia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia. Eventually, she shifted her focus to academics and pursuing a college tennis career in the United States.
College Tennis at the University of Idaho
Marianna’s path to U.S. college tennis started late. Since attending an American university hadn’t always been in her plans, her recruitment process began during her senior year. Without ever visiting the U.S., Marianna relied on video recruiting to decide which school to attend.
She had multiple offers from Division 1 programs, including Arizona State and Texas Tech, but ultimately chose the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. Under the guidance of head coach Mariana Cobra, Marianna immediately claimed the number one spot on the team—a rarity for a freshman at the Division 1 level.
Marianna's freshman year was stellar: she went 22-3 overall, an undefeated 11-0 in conference play, and 17-4 in doubles. Her accolades included two-time Big Sky Player of the Week, First-Team All-Big Sky, and Big Sky MVP in Women’s Tennis. The team also won the Big Sky Conference, earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Over her next three years under coach Babar Akbar, Marianna continued to dominate, earning multiple accolades:
- 3x Big Sky Conference MVP (2016, 2017, 2018)
- 4x Big Sky Conference 1st Team (2016–2019)
- 3x Big Sky Conference Doubles 1st Team (2017–2019)
- 10x Big Sky Player of the Week
- 2x Academic All-Big Sky (2017, 2018)
Team accomplishments during Marianna's time at Idaho:
- 3x Big Sky Conference Champions
- 3x NCAA Tournament Appearances
In 2018, Marianna reached an ITA ranking of No. 20 in all of collegiate tennis, the highest ranking ever achieved by a female player at the University of Idaho.
Marianna's individual records at Idaho include:
- Most Career Wins: 93
- Single-Season Win Percentage: .880 (22-3 in 2016)
- Tied 1st in Doubles Single-Season Win Percentage: .933 (14-1 with Lucia Badillos)
Thanks to these accolades, Marianna was recently announced as an inductee into the University of Idaho Athletics Hall of Fame.
University of Idaho Athletics
Post-College and Transition to Pickleball
After graduating, Marianna pursued a Master of Finance in Financial Mathematics at UC Irvine, briefly moving to California before completing her degree remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. She now works in financial data in Boise, Idaho.
Earlier this year, Marianna married her husband, bought a house, and got a puppy. It wasn’t long after settling down that she discovered pickleball.
Marianna picked up a pickleball paddle about a year ago, playing recreationally with her husband, a former member of Idaho's men’s tennis team. After taking a break to move and train their puppy, Marianna returned to the court, playing more frequently.
Before the PPA Picklr Utah Open, Marianna had only competed in a few local doubles tournaments and one singles event (where she played against men).
PPA Picklr Utah Open
Despite limited experience, Marianna entered the pro singles qualifiers at the PPA Picklr Utah Open. The women’s singles qualifiers typically take place the morning before the main draw, which gave Marianna a chance to settle in.
Her confidence grew after two dominant victories, winning both matches by impressive scores of 11-0, 11-0 and 11-1, 11-2.
In her next match, she faced the tournament’s top seed, Lea Jansen. Marianna went into the match feeling no pressure, knowing all the expectation was on Jansen. After losing the first game 11-5, Marianna adjusted her strategy and fought back, winning the second game 11-5 and sealing the upset with a 12-10 win in the third.
Marianna credited her mental toughness in part to her experiences playing in high-pressure matches at Idaho, such as conference finals and NCAA tournaments.
In the round of 16, she cruised past 16th seed Layne Sleeth, winning 11-4, 11-4. Her tournament run came to an end in the quarterfinals, where she lost in three games (4-11, 11-7, 3-11) to former PPA champion Judit Castillo.
See that match here:
What’s Next for Marianna?
Though she works full-time in financial data and has no immediate plans to turn pro, Marianna’s performances show she has the power, talent, and athleticism to make a name for herself in professional pickleball, should she choose to pursue it more seriously.
Time will tell if Marianna can continue to have an impact in pro pickleball.
Special thanks to Kyle Trenga, at DinkSmashMedia, and Co-Host of the Pickleball Effect Podcast, for providing many of the action pictures of Marianna playing pickleball, throughout this article.
