Semifinals underway at Sand Series Tour Finals in Ribeirão Preto
The ITF Beach Tennis Sand Series Tour Finals officially kicked off this week in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, welcoming the world’s highest-performing teams for the final showdown of the 2025 season.
In tribute to the sport’s most prestigious events, this year’s edition introduced a new tradition: all Tour Finals groups were named after Sand Series $100,000 tournaments, while the New Wave invitational groups followed the Sand Series $75,000 theme.
As host city, Ribeirão Preto was honoured across both the boys and girls New Wave categories. Staged alongside the Tour Finals, the New Wave invitational showcased the 2025 18&U World Champions and the most exciting rising stars aged 17–20, creating a dynamic mix of next-generation talent and elite competition.
The round robin phase, played from 29 November to 4 December, produced six days of high-quality matches, standout performances and breakthrough moments. Now, with group play complete and the semifinal line-ups confirmed, the final weekend is set for a dramatic conclusion.
In the women’s draw, No. 1 seeds Giulia Gasparri and Ninny Valentini set the tone early, topping Group Réunion with three wins and a dominant 6–1 set record. Patricia Diaz and Rafaella Miller joined them in the semifinals after claiming a decisive 6–4, 6–1 victory over Veronica Casadei and Ariadna Costa in their final group match - a must-win clash that determined the group’s second qualifying place. Across Group Aruba, first-time Tour Finals participants Elizaveta Kudinova and Anastasiia Semenova delivered one of the week’s breakout stories, finishing with an impressive 6–1 set record to win the group, while Brazilian No. 2 seeds Sophia Chow and Vitória Marchezini advanced in second with a 4–3 set record.
The men’s Tour Finals saw the No. 1 seeded pairing, Nicolas Gianotti and Mattia Spoto, take control of Group Brasília with a flawless, undefeated run through their three matches. André Baran and Felipe Cogo Loch secured the second semifinal position following a composed, high-pressure performance in their final round-robin match. Group Matosinhos produced another statement run, with No. 2 seeds Giovanni Cariani and Daniel Mola sweeping all three matches with authority, while Fabricio Neis and Allan Oliveira claimed the final semifinal ticket. For Oliveira, the achievement marks a second consecutive Tour Finals semifinal appearance - this time with a new partner - underscoring his reliability on home soil.
The New Wave event produced some of the week’s brightest young performances. In the boys’ competition, Tristano Frattolillo and Álvaro Garcia were unmatched in Group Ribeirão Preto, finishing with a perfect 6–0 set record. They are joined in the semifinals by 2025 U18 World Champions Alex Agirelli and Giacomo Pollino, who secured their place with a 4–2 set record. Group Gran Canaria was tightly contested, with Davi Ballerini and Richard do Espírito Santo Gomes topping the standings despite an even 4–4 set tally, while Louis Bepoldin and Xennon Ho-Asjoe advanced in second with a 5–3 set record.
In the girls’ event, the 2025 U18 World Champions Diana Izrayleva and Anastasia Stepanyuk remained in control throughout Group Ribeirão Preto, finishing with a 6–1 set record and three victories. The second semifinal place went to Sofia Martins Espindola and Isabela Massaioli de Sousa, who posted a 4–3 set record to advance. Group Gran Canaria saw No. 1 seeds Maria Nakamura and Beatriz Valerio deliver a commanding 6–1 record of their own, while fellow Brazilians Valentina Silva and Julia Vasconcelos secured the last semifinal berth with a 5–2 set record.
With three Brazilian women’s teams advancing, the host nation’s emerging strength in the discipline was on full display.
Next Stop: Semifinals
Friday’s semifinals promise high drama across both competitions. In the women’s, Patricia Diaz and Rafaella Miller take on Elizaveta Kudinova and Anastasiia Semenova in a highly anticipated rematch of the 2025 Cesenatico World Championships. Diaz and Miller bring experience and aim to reach the Final as they did in 2024, while Kudinova and Semenova - making their Tour Finals debut - have already announced themselves as breakout stars this season. Giulia Gasparri and Ninny Valentini meet Sophia Chow and Vitória Marchezini in a clash of the top two seeded teams, a showdown between the world’s best women’s pairings that could define the championship.
The men’s is equally compelling. Giovanni Cariani and Daniel Mola face André Baran and Felipe Cogo Loch in an all-Brazilian battle that promises intensity and emotion, with Cariani and Mola riding a wave of momentum and Baran and Cogo Loch combining experience with youthful energy. Nicolas Gianotti and Mattia Spoto take on Fabrício Neis and Allan Oliveira, who will be supported by the passionate home crowd in Ribeirão Preto. Gianotti and Spoto’s dominance this season sets the stage for a formidable contest, but Oliveira and Neis have the local support to make it fiercely competitive.
The New Wave semifinals showcase the sport’s rising talents. In the women’s draw, Sofia Martins Espindola and Isabela Massaioli de Sousa take on Maria Eduarda Nakamura Henrique and Beatriz Valerio, while 2025 U18 World Champions Diana Izrayleva and Anastasia Stepanyuk face Valentina Santana Mendes e Silva and Julia Mendonça Vasconcelos. In the boys’ bracket, 2025 U18 World Champions Alex Agirelli and Giacomo Alessandro Pollino play Davi Ballerini and Richard do Espírito Santo Gomes, with Tristano Frattolillo and Álvaro García González meeting Louis Bepoldin and Xennon Ho-Asjoe. With the Junior World Champions competing in both the boys’ and girls’ brackets, these matchups offer a thrilling glimpse of the next generation of elite beach tennis.
As the 2025 campaign nears its end, Ribeirão Preto continues to underline Brazil’s role as a global centre for beach tennis - one of 14 top-tier events held in the country this season, alongside three ITF Sand Series tournaments, the Tour Finals, and next week’s ITF Beach Tennis World Cup (9–14 December). With form peaking and rivalries sharpening, the stage is set for a spectacular finish to the season.