The first-ever ITF Beach Tennis Sand Series event will see a stellar line-up compete for glory in Saarlouis, Germany this weekend, with nine of the world’s top 10 men and all of the top 10 women ready to take to court. 

The Sand Series – a new series of major beach tennis events – makes its debut in Germany and with some of the sport's biggest names in action, spectators are sure to be treated to the best entertainment that the sport has to offer.

Beach tennis fans around the world will also be follow the action on the ITF website and ITF Facebook page, with the semifinals and finals streamed live on Sunday.

Speaking about what the start of the Sand Series meant to him, former world No. 1 Nikita Burmakin explained: “It has been five or six years since the idea of creating something like the Grand Slams of beach tennis was born and now I am really excited to play it for the first time in Saarlouis.

“I am happy it can be here and I’m very happy that they can do it in these difficult virus times. The players are really looking forward to come and compete.”

Burmakin, who is currently ranked No. 4 in the world, is no stranger to success on German soil having won the Saarlouis Beach Tennis Open in its inaugural year in 2017 and again the last time it was contested in 2019.

In fact, he credits his victory with Italy’s Tommaso Giovannini in 2017 as a turning point in his career.

“The tournament in Saarlouis is really special to me because it was the first big ITF tournament in Europe, where all the best teams participated, which we managed to win with my partner Tommaso Giovannini,” he said.

“When we won this one, it was a first step to a sequence of a lot of good victories and results.”

Burmakin, who is entered alongside world No. 5 Giovannini, won’t go into the Sand Series event as favourite. That tag will surely be reserved for the duo of world No. 2 Michele Cappelletti and No. 3 Antomi Ramos – the pair who despite only starting to play with one another at the end of last year, have formed a strong partnership, including winning the title at BT400 Kazan last month.

In the women’s event, all eyes will be on two Italian pairings – recently-crowned world No. 1 Giulia Gasparri is teaming up with No. 7 Ninny Valentini and they will be looking to replicate the form that saw them take the title at BT400 Kazan, while No. 4 Sofia Cimatti will play alongside No. 5 Nicole Nobile in what looks to be an experienced combination.

Home hopes will be pinned on world No. 8 Maraike Biglmaier, who is partnered by No. 11 Veronica Casadei. The pair will be keen to go one better than their runner-up finish in Kazan last month.

Another Italian making her first appearance on tour since April is world No. 3 Flaminia Daina, who will pair up with Brazil’s Joana Cortez.

Daina, who has grand ambitions for the sport of beach tennis, said: “To play the first Sand Series is a good step forward for our sport. Our sport is growing up so fast in some countries like Brazil, for example, and to professionalise our tour is the first key – to make the sport bigger and to hopefully spread it over the world.”

The Sand Series will do just that as it moves from Germany to Gran Canaria, Spain on 23-26 September, before heading to Brasilia, Brazil on 14-17 October and Reunion Island, Reunion on 28 October-1 November.