Marchezini and Vita triumph on home soil at Sand Series Brasilia
There were upsets galore at the ITF Sand Series Brasilia this weekend, but none more so than a famous victory for Vitoria Marchezini and Marcela Vita, who overcame top seeds and reigning world champions Giulia Gasparri and Ninny Valentini in front of a buoyant home crowd in Sunday’s final.
Marchezini, who is just 15 years old, teamed up with Vita at the start of last year and the Brazilian pair have been knocking on the door at the biggest events, reaching the semi-finals at both the Sand Series Saarlouis and Gran Canaria events earlier this year.
But with the fans at the Arena Brasilia cheering them on, the Brazilians fought back from a set and 5-2 down to clinch a memorable win 1-6 7-5 [10-8] for the biggest title of their careers.
“We came in full of confidence,” explained Vita, who was an integral part of the Brazilian side that won the ITF Beach Tennis World Cup in Rio de Janeiro earlier this month. “We have put in a lot of work and dedication to reach this achievement.
“We've been together for just over a year, the partnership is getting stronger and we get along really well off the court too. We've already had great results, but a big one like this was missing. I had a feeling it was coming. I always believed.”
Marchezini was equally effusive after the win, saying: “It’s the best moment of my career - a great title. I don't even know how to explain it. We managed to recover and seek victory. And I want to thank the fans, who made all the difference."
On the men’s side, France’s Nicolas Gianotti and Italy’s Mattia Spoto – who had been on opposite sides of the net during the ITF Beach Tennis World Championships in September – had not previously won a match together before recording five wins in a row on the shores of Lake Paranoa to upset world champions Nikita Burmakin, of Russia, and Tommasso Giovannini, of Italy, 1-6 6-3 [12-10] in the final.
Brasilia was the third of four stops in 2021 for the Sand Series, which was introduced by the ITF for the first time this year in order to create a new level of events at the top of the game.
The Sand Series Brasilia brought together 600 players from 13 countries, with professional matches as well as an amateur tournament counting towards the national ranking of the Brazilian Tennis Confederation (CBT). Throughout the week, an audience of 8,000 people followed the games.
It is clear to see why Brazil lays claim to a third of the beach tennis playing population worldwide and event organiser Bruno Ferreira was pleased with how the week went but is already looking ahead to the second edition of the tournament.
“The event was a great success,” he explained. “I think we made history here, with one of the biggest beach tennis events of all time. Several professional athletes, who have been on the circuit for a long time, came to talk about this.
“It was not an easy challenge in times of pandemic. The first event with a public here in Brasilia, which sold out on Thursday. We gave a show in the stands, following all Covid-19 protocols and we had the grand female final. May 2022 come and we can make an even bigger event, without the pandemic."