Courtesy of: the Morning News
This past weekend was filled with the most amazing matches of Beach Tennis on Eagle Beach; they culminated in spectacular finals that made the hundreds of spectators ooh, aah, sing and dance. This year’s Nations Cup was better than ever, with incredible athleticism of the players wowing the crazy crowd. Especially the women impressed with their terrific windmill smashes and subtle lobs.
The Italian men were victorious: Alessandro Calbucci (world champion) and Marco Garavini lost to 5-time Aruba champion Mateo Marighella and his partner Nicolo Strano – an Italian get-together that no one who was present in the Amstel Bright Arena will ever forget. The Open Men’s final was preceded by a riveting Women’s final: It took Giulia Curzi (Italy) and Flavia Muniz (Bra) three sets to win the title. They defeated Samanta Barijan and Joana Cortez, both from Brazil.
But meanwhile, on court 16 something amazing was happening: local guys Dennis Martinez and Julian Cheung beat Delgao/Osante (7-4) amidst wild cheers and flag waving from their crazy fans in the Advanced Men category, one of the largest and very strong categories of the Divi Aruba Beach Tennis tournament. The Advanced Women final went to Ribas/Costa over local women Tromp/Dolfing, who lost in the tie-break (7-6).
Going back to Satruday evening, mention should be made of the great match between Aruban Cado de Lanoy and Sergio Jie Sam Foek against Cappoletti/Carti from Italy. The local boys took an amazing 3-0 lead in the first set, delighting the very chauvinistic crowd, before their opponents found their stride. The team of Aruba played a wonderful match and lost gracefully (3-6/4-6) to their world-ranked opponents.
Although the road to the final of the Masters 50-plus of the Divi Aruba Beach Tennis event was not easy at all, the last Italian opponents across the net had had it for the day:
Louis Posner/Frank Jie Sam Foek from Aruba won the match 7-0!
Gazpari/Nutini tried, but had to bow low for the Arubans. Of course the crowd went wild!
In the other categories it was Venezuela that dominated as the following results show:
Fun Mix:
– Cassarino/Vigon (Ven) – Salazar/Rodrigues (Ven) 7-5
– Intermediate Mix: Gomes/Nunes (ven) – Monte/Tassora (Bra) 7-4
Advanced Mix:
– Moreno/Ferrari(Ven)– Romay/Pagliaca (ARU/Ven) 7-6
Masters:
– Posner/Jie Sam Foek (AUA) – Gazpari/Nutini (Ita) 7-0
Open Mix:
– Font/Cortez (Bra) –Curzi/Marig (Ita) 7-6
In the Junior tournament there were the following winners:
Under 16:
1. Carlo & Angel (Ven)
2. Lorenzo & Francesca (It)
Girls under 16:
1. Anne & Eline
2. Tiara & Zoë
Under 14:
1. Rik & Shane
2. Dominique & Steff
Girls under 14:
1. Mali & Abibail
2. Maddy & Isabelle
Under 12:
1. Kai & Fin
2. Tim & Kim
Girls under 12:
1. Nienke & Femke
2. Kayleigh & Bodil
Under 10:
1. Jan & Dylan
2. Collin & JayJay
Other results were:
Fun Women: Arian/Campodonico –van den Brink/Schiphorst (7-0);
Fun Men: Hilario/Lampe – De Vries/Bos (7-5).
Intermediate Men: quintero/Arduino – Armani/Nucini.
Intermediate Women: simon/Leonard – Bezzy/de Rose (7-5).
The successful Divi Aruba Beach Tennis tournament saw a grand afterparty with DJ Nutzbeatz whipping up the crowd into frenzy. The Amstel Bright Arena was the perfect location for a sandy, wild, uninhibited dance party that went on deep into the night.
Minister of Sports Alex Schwengle was present for the award giving ceremony: one could see clearly how much he had enjoyed this wild, super fun evening of Beach Tennis.
Pabien to the winners and also to the organizer Divi Aruba Beach for a successful event!
