Gianotti and Spoto back on top; Diaz and Miiller undefeated
There were major upsets on the sand last week during the 2024 Sao Paulo Sand Series.
Michele Cappelletti and Andre Baran, who were just recently crowned the world's top ranked pair at the Beach Tennis World Championships that took place in September, lost in the first round of the Sand Series to the young, unseeded Italian duo Luca Andreolini and Niccolo Gasparri.
Aged only 20 and 19 respectively, the dynamic duo had the match of their life, beating the top seeds in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
With the top seeds out, it was all to play for in the men’s draw.
While Nicolas Giannotti and Mattia Spoto stormed through their half of the draw without dropping a single set, the newly confirmed partnership of Felipe Cogo Loch and Antonio Miguel Ramos Viera sent shock waves through the tournament.
Despite losing in the quarter-finals of the BT400 Belo Horizonte against Leonardo Garrossino Branco and Allan Oliveira, they had an opportunity for a re-match against the No. 5 seeds in the Sand Series semi-finals, winning 6-3, 7-6.
With the men’s final set, all was to play for. However, Spoto and Gianotti did what they do best, drubbing Loch and Ramos in the first set 6-2.
Things got trickier in the second, but the former World Champions prevailed, this victory holding even greater significance as they reclaim the No. 1 spot at the top of the ranking table.
The women’s draw saw world No. 1 pair Patricia Diaz and Rafaella Miiller return to the tour after sitting out BT400 Belo Horizonte due to Miiller’s shoulder injury.
However, the pair were on top form and secured their spot in the final without dropping more than five games in a set.
The fight to face them in the final was a closer affair, with No. 3 seeds Gasparri and Valentini, and No. 2 seeds; Daina and Nobile, facing each other in an all-Italian semi-final.
After a nail-biting tie-break, Gasparri and Valentini advanced through to the final 6-4, 2-6, 10-4.
However, Diaz and Miiller defeated the Italian pair and claimed the Sao Paulo Sand Series trophy with a 6-3, 6-3 victory to consolidate their No. 1 status. With world No. 3 Sophia Chow sidelined from the tour for the foreseeable future due to injury, their top spot is secured for the time-being.