Age no barrier to success as monumental venue opens in Biguacu | ITF
Age no barrier to success as monumental venue opens in Biguacu

Age no barrier to success as monumental venue opens in Biguacu

Ed Pearson

07 Jun 2021

When one of the world’s largest beach tennis venues was proposed to be built in the province of Santa Catarina, it was hoped that such a facility would encourage the growth of the sport in a region already synonymous with talent.

And it was the future of women’s beach tennis that was on show at the BT50 Biguaçu this weekend, with 15-year-old Vitoria Marchezini winning a second professional title of her fledgling career.

Marchezini teamed up with Marcela Vita and, seeded No. 3, the duo beat all before them, including a tense final in which they overcame Isabela Garrido and Julia Nogueira 3-6 6-1 10-8 to clinch the victory.

In the men’s event, it was a pair at the other end of the age spectrum who showed that experience can be better than a young pair of legs at the highest level of the game.

Veteran competitor Vinicius Font, now 36 years old, paired up with 30-year-old Andre Baran and proved why they are ranked No. 7 and No. 6 in the world respectively as they took the title without losing a set.

Baran and Font, who are the highest-ranked men's beach tennis players in Brazil, defeated Marcus Vinicius Ferreira and Allan Oliveira 6-3 6-2 in the final.

In the BT10 event at the same venue, which preceded the BT50 by one day, Daniel Schmitt and Natã Porte, himself an under 21, defeated Baran and Mateus Buemo 6-3 6-4 in the men’s final. While in the women's event, the title went to Sophia Chow and Isadora Simões after a 6-0 6-0 victory over Caroline Gurgel and Juliana Melo in the final.