Beach Tennis US Open Finale on Long Beach Sand

A fierce summer storm that hit Long Beach Sunday afternoon merely forestalled the unstoppable defending champions Matteo Marighella and Alex Mingozzi from taking the men’s doubles final of the 2011 International Beach Tennis Championships when play resumed Monday morning.

Facing the highly regarded duo of Alessandro Calbucci and Nicolo Strano, Italy’s M&M boys won in three sets, 4-6, 6-1 and 6-1, to claim the U.S. Open Championship.

As has become de rigeur for the international sport, it was an all-Italian final in both the mens and womens doubles competitions, with Laura Olivieri and Simona Briganti defeating defending champions Simona Bonnadonna and Joana Cortez.

While the rain delay thinned attendance for the men’s finals, the high level of play and intensity of battle made for a competitively fought match. With cries of ’Forza’ and ’Bravo,’ Calbucci and Strano came out strong and took the first set with potent service and plenty of energy to spare — not to mention pressing their advantage when handed a few points on mistakes by Marighella and Mingozzi.

“We missed two important balls in the first set, and were angry with ourselves,” Mingozzi said. “But this is a game of heart. We used that anger and were strong enough to make a comeback.”

And then some. In the second set, the duo took four straight games, rattling of 15 of the first 16 points and dominating their increasingly frustrated opponents.

“We shot better, we received better, and we won some key 40-40 points,” Mingozzi said. “They probably played under their level.”

By the third set, Strano was voluble in his frustration, several times slamming his paddle in the sand. It was 4-0 in the third set before Calbucci/Strano were able to muster a game of their own, breaking service — but it was too little too late, as Marighella/Mingozzi coasted to victory.

“This is one of the best competitions in the world,” Mingozzi said. “We are proud to win it.”

The Women’s Doubles championship went to Laura Olivieri and Simona Briganti, who also came back from a tough first set against favored Simona Bonnadonna and Joana Cortez to win as the nasty weather began rolling in off the ocean.

“The first set they attacked us hard, but then the wind began to effect play,” Oliveiri said. “A lot of the defense was shorter, and we were able to return better.”

“Today we saw the U.S. players show some gains,“ said Jim Lorenzo, president of Beach Tennis USA, who noted that beach tennis is headed for the Pan American games this year, as a demonstration sport. “Some of our players are getting a little bit closer.”

Included in that assessment would be Americans Stephen Sayoc (USA) and Daniel Fink (Brazil), who lost to eventual champions Marighella and Mingozzi in the quarter finals; Massimo Mattei (Italy) and Marty Salokas (USA), who got to the quarterfinals; and Johnston and Melch, who made it all the way to the semis before losing to Olivieri and Briganti.

Pro Men's Doubles

Quarter Finals:

Matteo Marighella and Alex Mingozzi def. Stephen Sayoc and Daniel Fink.

Paolo Tazzari and Marco Garavini def. Massimo Mattei and Marty Salokas

Alessandro Calbucci and Nicolo Strano def. Bertrand Coulet and Jochem Ros.

Guilherme Prata and Vinicius Font def.Alan Maldini and Paolo Tronci

Semi Finals:

Marighella and Mingozzi def. Tazzari and Garavini.

Calbucci and Strano def. Prata and Font.

Finals:

Marighella and Mingozzi def. Calbucci and Strano

Pro Women's Doubles

Quarter Finals:

Laura Olivieri and Simona Briganti def. Silvia Zanuttini and Alessandra Zavalloni

Nadia Johnston and Nicole Melch def. Ludivine Bodar and Oiane Boutens

Paula Cortez and Flavia Muniz def. Luoni and Maria Luisa Frassca.

Simona Bonadonna and Eva D'Elia def. Marilou Lekanne and Margot Van Doorn

Semi Finals:

Olivieri and Briganti def. Johnston and Melch.

Bonadonna and D'Elia def. Cortez and Muniz.

Final:

Bonadonna and D'Elia def. Olivieri and Briganti.