ITF 2010 Season Review and Year-End Rankings
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2010 saw new year-end World No. 1’s crowned in both the men’s and women’s circuits as the Italian domination of the ITF Beach Tennis Tour continued for the third straight year. The change in the women’s year-end world No. 1 was significant as, for the first time since the ITF Beach Tennis Tour began in 2008, Simona Briganti & Rossella Stefanelli were ousted from the top spot by fellow Italian’s Federica Bacchetta and Giulia Spazzoli. For the men, Alex Mingozzi took over the year-end top spot from Paolo Tazzari to become the third different holder of the year-end No. 1 ranking.
The year also saw the Tour more than double in size with an increase to forty-eight tournaments worldwide in thirteen countries, itself a near 50% increase on the number of host nations in 2009. Throughout the season the Tour made first time appearances in eight new nations around the globe starting with the opening tournament of the year in Reunion Island off the east coast of South Africa and ending with two visits to Brazil. Other first time hosts on the ITF Beach Tennis Tour were San Marino, Cyprus, Bermuda, USA, Turkey and Aruba. Italy once again staged the World Championships in Rome but, in another first on the Tour, the European Championships moved from Italy to Antalya in Turkey.
Italian and Japanese players dominated throughout the 2010 season and none more so than the new men’s No. 1 Alex Mingozzi and Matteo Marighella who each won ten titles, nine of which came when teamed together and included the European Championship crown! Another Italian, Alessandro Calbucci claimed seven titles with five different partners. Success also ran high with the Italian women particularly with joint 2008 & 2009 No. 1 Simona Briganti whose haul of nine titles included the European Championship title which she last won during the Tour’s debut season. This victory came with Laura Olivieri, who was defending her 2009 title won with Mara Santangelo. The Briganti/Olivieri partnership would go on to notch up seven titles in total by the end of the year. The World Championships, which took place early in the season during May, saw the titles go to the Italian pairings of Alan Maldini & Luca Meliconi for their second title of the season and to new women’s joint No. 1’s Federica Bacchetta & Giulia Spazzoli for the first of five titles they would win together in 2010.
Timeline
March 2010
- The season kicks off with a first visit to Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
April 2010
- Another new venue makes its debut as San Mario hosts the first of its three scheduled tournaments.
May 2010- Rome once again hosts the World Championships with Italians sweeping the board in both events.
- Federica Bacchetta & Giulia Spazzoli win four titles.
June 2010
- Cyprus joins the ITF Beach Tennis Tour family with the first of two tournaments due to be staged on the island.
July 2010
- Italy enters into double figures for tournaments held in 2010.
August 2010
- The ITF Beach Tennis Tour arrives in the Caribbean for the first time with Bermuda hosting.
September 2010- The busiest month of the year as ten tournaments are staged all around the globe.
- First appearances for the Tour in the USA and Turkey who stage the first European Championships to be held outside of Italy.
- Italy host four tournaments to reach the twenty tournament mark for the season.
- Simona Briganti & Laura Olivieri win their seventh title of the season.
October 2010
- Japan stage two tournaments to become only the second nation to take their season tally into doubles figures in 2010.
- Tomomi Takahashi & Yukiko Nakamura win a third consecutive title.
November 2010
- Aruba is host to the ITF Beach Tennis Tour for the first time for the second Caribbean tournament of the year.
- Alex Mingozzi & Matteo Marighella win a ninth title together.
December 2010- Brazil brings the season to a close with its first ever tournaments on the Tour.
With the fourth season of the ITF Beach Tennis Tour due to get underway in San Marino in January 2011 you can keep up-to-date with developments on our official Facebook and Twitter pages and right here on website!
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