2023 Sand Series set to reach its conclusion in Valinhos
The Sand Series heads to Valinhos for the first time for the final stop of this year’s Beach Tennis Sand Series on 12-14 October.
Sofia Cimatti and Giulia Gasparri will look to capture their third Sand Series title in a row after victories in Pärnu and Saarlouis over the summer. Their biggest test might come against World Champions Rafaella Miiller and Patricia Diaz, six-time winners on the 2023 Beach Tennis World Tour including in May’s Sand Series Gran Canaria Classic, which they won on Miiller’s 30th birthday.
Recent Mediterranean Beach Games gold medalists Flaminia Daina and Nicole Nobile are also ones to watch after claiming gold without dropping a set, defeating French sisters Marie-Eve Hoarau and Mathilde Hoarau (who are also in action in Valinhos) in the final.
Veronica Casadei and Greta Giusti have already made their mark on the Sand Series stage this year after finishing runners-up at the inaugural Sand Series Ribeirão Preto in April before taking third place at the World Championships.
Fresh off a second title of the year at the BT200 Palmas the Italians could also be worth keeping an eye on, having beaten Brazilians Marcela Vita and Julia Nogueira last week in a thriller, with Giusti making her top 10 debut as a result of the win.
Meanwhile, world No. 1 duo and World Champions Nicolas Gianotti and Mattia Spoto will look to add a third Sand Series crown of the year to their impressive six-title haul for 2023.
The pair are currently on a 15-match win streak, just three shy of the record 18 they achieved in April and May last year. The streak was almost broken in the Saarlouis Classic final however, with the pair coming from a set down to take the title 10-8 in the match tie-break against André Baran and Michele Cappelletti. Baran and Cappelletti will be keen to exact revenge and have both captured Sand Series titles this year, with two for Baran in Ribeirão Preto and Brasília and one for Cappelletti at the Réunion Classic, a tournament he has won eight times.
Their partners in those tournaments in Nikita Burmakin and Antomi Ramos respectively will also be hungry for success as the duo reunite for the first time since 2019, a season that saw them win five titles.
“We are extremely excited to be part of this first Sand Series in Valinhos," said tournament director Lucas Sousa. "The beach tennis family around the world will be more than welcome in our arena, which is the biggest beach tennis complex in the world."
The Main Draw action gets underway on 12 October, with live scoring and streaming available from the first round, with more information available on the tournament page.