The two highest-profile events so far this year on the ITF Beach Tennis World Tour both took place in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE last week and both events were won by the same pairs.

Nikita Burmakin and Tommaso Giovannini scooped two titles in the men’s, while Giulia Gasparri and Ninny Valentini picked up a brace in the women’s.

The BT200 Ras Al Khaimah kicked off on Monday 12 April and the Italian pairing of Gasparri and Valentini made light work of a tough draw, winning in straight sets against every opponent they faced, including a 6-2 6-2 semi-final victory against top seeds Sofia Cimatti and Nicole Nobile and a 6-0 6-3 win over No. 2 seeds Joana Cortez and Flaminia Daina in the final.

In the men’s, Burmakin and Giovannini’s route to the title wasn’t quite so easy, as they nearly came unstuck in the quarter-finals against Italy’s Doriano Beccaccioli and Mattia Spoto, in which they needed a match tie break to determine the winner 6-7(8) 6-2 10-4.

Seeded second, the Russian-Italian duo proceeded to make light work of Andre Baran and Vinicius Font 6-1 6-3 in the semi-finals, before clinching the silverware with a 6-2 6-1 victory over surprise Russian finalists Kirill Fartukov and Maxim Ionin.

The second BT200 event of the week saw Burmakin and Giovannini facing Beccacioli and Spoto in the final this time and it was another close-fought encounter, which went the way of the No. 2 seeds 7-5 6-4.

In the women’s event, Gasparri and Valentini once again had to defeat the top two pairings to claim victory, this time defeating Cortez and Daina 6-3 6-2 in the semi-finals and Cimatti and Nobile 6-3 6-3 in the final.

World No. 3 Burmakin praised the organisers for putting on such a high-profile event during the global pandemic and went on to say: “We are very happy to be in the United Arab Emirates, and in Ras Al Khaimah for the first time. It’s a beautiful experience for the sport, for the culture and the people."

Gasparri, who moved up to No. 2 in the rankings after the pair of victories, said: “The level of players was great, all the top players in the world were here, both male and female. The competition was very hard and we enjoyed every point and every game."

Valentini was impressed with the conditions in Ras Al Khaimah, saying: "The play at night-time was great, not hot at all, and the lighting was perfect. The location, the sand, the ambiance, the organization in general was astonishing.

Giovannini added: “We hope the organisers keep organising such tournaments and, for sure, we will be attending and playing our best. We believe this is just the beginning.”

Brazil’s Vitoria Cristina Carneiro Marchezini, who reached the semi-finals of the second BT200 event with her partner Marcela Vita, received a recognition trophy from the UAE Tennis Federation as the youngest professional beach tennis player in the tournament. Aged just 15, she made it from Brazil to the UAE to dispute the BT200 championship.

UAE Tennis Federation Board Member and General Secretary Nasser Yousef Al Marzouqi said: “We are very thankful to Empower Sports Services and we appreciate all their efforts and look forward to hosting more ITF Beach Tennis tournaments.”