Baran’s Brazilian Delight; Nobile and Daina win all Italian duel
The first Sand Series of the year did not disappoint with two absorbing finals to cap off an outstanding week of the best of beach doing battle in Ribeirão Preto.
Andre Baran defended his title after taking home the inaugural crown at this event last year, making it two tournament victories in a row with Michele Cappelletti after capturing the BT400 Pure Beach title.
The duo were nearly out in the first round but squeezed past Maxim Ionin and Dmitrii Pavlov in a thrilling opener and did not have things their own way in the final either.
The pair were up a quick 4-0 but their opponents Nicolas Gianotti and Mattia Spoto got things back on serve to even out the match. Baran and Cappelletti were able to break to take the opening set but Gianotti took the second to force a match tie break to decide the championship.
With a partisan crowd roaring Baran on, the pair sunk to their knees after the final ball of the match dropped past the baseline. The victory marks a third Sand Series victory for Baran and a tour-leading eight for Cappelletti.
Meanwhile, it was an all-Italian affair in the women’s final, with Ninny Valentini and Giulia Gasparri back in their first final as a pair since last April’s BT400 Balneario Camboriu after the latter’s return from shoulder surgery.
The pair had their work cut out in a World Championship rematch in the quarter finals against Ariadna Costa Graell and Elena Francesconi, managing to avenge that defeat in a match tie break.
The duo then put in a statement win against top seeds Patricia Diaz and Rafaella Miiller in the semi-finals for the loss of just three games in what was also a World Championship rematch from the 2021 and 2022 finals.
However they came up against inspired and familiar foe in Nicole Nobile and Flaminia Daina for the final and despite taking the opening set they lost in a thrilling 10-8 match tie break which saw them recover from 4-0 and 8-5 deficits to level the breaker at 8-8 before a monster serve and punishing smash from Nobile saw them take the title and their first Sand Series as a pair.
The victory is a maiden Sand Series win for Daina and a fifth for Nobile, who took the titles in Saarlouis and Réunion in 2021 followed by a German title defence in 2022 and the Brasília Classic crown (all with Sofia Cimatti).
The Sand Series continues with a May double header at the Réunion Classic with a record $75,000 prize pot followed by the Gran Canaria Classic. Cappelletti is an 8 time winner at the Plage des Brisants and so will fancy his chances at helping Baran to his first, whilst the Italian also took home the Gran Canaria Classic title in 2021 with Antomi Ramos.
Nobile won a thrilling 15-13 Réunion Classic final in 2021 after saving match points against Maraike Biglmaier and Eva Fernandez Palos and so knows what it takes to win on one of the biggest and most vocal stages on the ITF Beach Tennis World Tour.
The Sand Series consists of the premier tournaments on the ITF Beach Tennis World Tour, designed to provide the top players with opportunities to gain more ranking points and greater prize money.
Sand Series 2024
11 – 14 April: Ribeirão Preto
10 – 12 May: Réunion Classic
17 – 19 May: Gran Canaria Classic
13 – 15 June: Brasília Classic
15th – 17th August: Saarlouis Classic
10th – 12th October: São Paulo
15th – 17th November: Aruba