Top seeds Michele Cappelletti and Antomi Ramos lived up to billing with a comeback victory 3-6 6-2 [10-7] against Nicolas Gianotti and Mattia Spoto to claim a first title in Terracina as a team.

The duo are certainly no strangers to winning the World Championships – with Cappelletti having now won more than any other player on the tour, with this year’s being his fifth overall. And Ramos first picked up this particular trophy in 2018 alongside Mikael Alessi.

So perhaps it was that experience that paid dividends when they had their backs against the wall after losing the first set against Gianotti and Spoto – the latter who always raises his game for Terracina.

Indeed, it was only last year that Spoto and former partner Doriano Beccaccioli defeated Cappelletti and Ramos in the quarter-finals before taking out Gianotti and his previous team-mate, Theo Irigaray, in the semis.

With heavy rain forecast in Italy on Sunday, the men had to play their semi-finals earlier in the day on Saturday before returning for the final on Saturday night. And that change in conditions seemed to affect Cappelletti and Ramos, who started slowly before coming to life in the second set.

And when they needed to produce their best, the top seeds upped their game and clinched a close tiebreak despite falling behind in that as well.

“My goal is to become the player with the most titles in beach tennis history,” said Cappelletti. “This title is special because no-one else has done it [won five World Championships]. I’m 30 years old now but I think I have more time to win more titles.”

Ramos added: “It was a very important title for us. Five for my partner and two for me. I want to congratulate Michele [Cappelletti] and our coach.”