Diaz and Miiller set up final clash with Gasparri and Valentini
Venezuela’s Patricia Diaz and Brazil’s Rafaella Miiller won a thrilling semi-final against top seeds Sofia Cimatti and Nicole Nobile 6-3 3-6 [10-8] to book their place in the final, where they will meet Giulia Gasparri and Ninny Valentini.
Diaz and Miiller came out firing on all cylinders but a torrential rain break mid-way through the match nearly derailed their final ambitions.
“We started very well,” explained Diaz. “We were very focussed from the first game in a very good way. The rain came and then they came back in the second set and completely changed their strategy. They switched sides and they started to bother us.”
The No. 3 seeds might have been outsmarted by Cimatti and Nobile but Diaz believes it is her love of the game that made the difference in a match tiebreak where she threw herself on the sand on multiple occasions despite the match clock ticking over the two hours and a half mark.
An emotional Diaz added: “I’m feeling a lot right now. I have a lot of adrenalin. If I had to describe myself in one word it would be ‘passion’. It’s my biggest strength. I hope it’s enough for the final.”
For Miiller, Terracina continues to be a profitable location. The 28-year-old is one of the reigning champions in the women’s event, having clinched the world title the last time the Championships took place back in 2019 alongside Maraike Biglmaier. And the Brazilian also clinched the mixed doubles title alongside countryman Andre Baran earlier this week.
Miiller said: “I’m very, very happy. This match was very difficult. But I didn’t feel pressure. I felt really good the whole match. In the second set they were smart, but I never felt scared. I hope we keep winning.”
Only Giulia Gasparri and Ninny Valentini stand in their way now after the all-Italian duo overcame Brazil’s Joana Cortez and fellow Italian Flaminia Daina 6-2 6-4 in the second semi-final on Centre Court.
The second seeds have looked like one of the teams to beat in Terracina and, having been crowned European champions last weekend, they will go into the final on an eight-match win streak. But perhaps even more impressive is the fact that they have won 27 of their last 28 matches.
World No. 1 Gasparri said: “Today we played good. Our opponents are a very strong couple. They play strange beach tennis so it’s difficult to play. The sand after the rain was very heavy so it wasn’t easy.”
In the men’s event, Nikita Burmakin and Tommaso Giovannini survived a first set wobble before storming back to take the match 7-5 6-1 against Diego Bollettinari and Marco Faccini.
Giovannini, who produced what in his opinion was the second-best point of his life to save the first set at 4-5 and 30-40 on his own serve, was particularly pleased to get past two opponents who have a very good record against him.
They will face Andre Baran and Vinicius Font in the semi-finals after the No. 3 seeds won an all-Brazilian affair 6-4 6-4 against Allan Oliveira and Thales Santos.
In the top half of the men’s draw, French fourth seeds Nicolas Gianotti and Theo Irigaray clinched their place in the last four with a tight 6-7(2) 6-1 [14-12] victory over Maksimilians Niklass Andersons of Latvia and Gerard Rodriguez Querol of Spain.
Doriano Beccaccioli and Mattia Spoto pulled off a huge upset to knock out top seeds Michele Cappelletti and Antomi Ramos Viera 6-7(4) 6-3 [10-6] in the last match on Centre Court.