The local heroes at the Matosinhos Sand Series saw their main championship dreams fade. This big beach tennis Grand Slam event is winding down. Now, on the final day, top international players are ready for the semifinals. Some Portuguese players are still fighting, but only in the consolation bracket. It was a tough run for the home team.
Martim Sousa was the last Portuguese man left in the main draw. He holds the 67th spot in the world rankings. Sousa played alongside Daniel Canellas from Brazil. However, they couldn’t overcome the favored Brazilian duo, Daniel Mola and Giovanni Cariani. Mola and Cariani are the third seeds in the tournament. They won their match with scores of 6-3 and 6-2. The men’s title will now go to one of these strong pairs:
- Nicolas Gianotti and Mattia Spoto (ranked 1st)
- Andre Baran and Felipe Loch (ranked 4th)
- Giovanni Cariani and Daniel Mola (ranked 3rd)
- Diego Bollettinari and Mathieu Guegano (ranked 7th)
Even though the main draw closed for them, some Portuguese men kept playing. Henrique Freitas and Pedro Maio, who have won the national championship eleven times in a row, showed great grit. They beat fellow Portuguese players Dinis Gomes and Diego Soares 6-4, 6-0. Then, they faced Miguel Sousa and France’s Maxence Rolland in a really close match. Freitas and Maio won that battle 6-1, 4-6, and 10-7. They are now in the semifinals of the consolation bracket.
On the women’s side, the Portuguese pairs also found the main draw tough. Rita Gomes and Carlota Loureiro couldn’t get past Sofia Cimatti and Greta Giusti from Italy. The Italian pair won convincingly with scores of 6-0 and 6-2. Maria Tavares, playing with Brazil’s Beatriz Valério, also faced a strong team. Gabija Druteikaite and Daniela Perera beat them 6-1, 6-1. Victoria Ribeiro was the last local woman still in the main draw. She played with Aleksandra Kovalova from Latvia. They exited in the second round, marking the end for all Portuguese women in the main championship hunt.
This Sunday, the top women’s teams will battle for a spot in the final. These include:
- Giulia Gasparri and Ninny Valentini (ranked 1st)
- Veronica Casadei and Ariadna Graell (ranked 4th)
- Patricia Diaz and Rafaella Miller (ranked 3rd)
- Sophia Chow and Vitoria Marchezini (ranked 2nd)
Meanwhile, in the women’s consolation bracket, Marta Magalhães and Débora Madile will play against each other in the semifinals. This means one Portuguese woman is guaranteed to be in the consolation final, securing at least a smaller win for the home crowd.