Beach Tennis World Championships Heat Up in Cesenatico

The ITF Beach Tennis World Championships in Cesenatico have officially begun. Fourth seeds Antonio Miguel Ramos and his partner Maksimillians Niklaas Andersons were upset in a thrilling match by Italian qualifiers Peter Campedelli and Giacomo Gabellini, 4-6, 6-2, 8-10. This defeat is a significant blow for Ramos, a two-time World Champion and current World No. 5, who was eager for a deep run in the tournament.

The young Italian duo, on the other hand, will be riding the momentum of their home crowd as they aim for a remarkable run. In the second round, they faced another Italian team, Mattia Bazzia and Federico Caroli, a 22-year-old pair who fought through three rounds of qualifying and eliminated former World No. 1 Vinicius Font in the first round. After yet another nail-biting match tiebreak, Campedelli and Gabellini advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will face seventh seeds Guegano (FRA) and Paronetto Russo (BRA).

Eighth seeds Carlos Vigon (VEN) and Diego Bollettinari (ITA), fresh off their runner-up finish at the BT200 Culebra tournament, have cruised into the quarterfinals without dropping a set. They will face a formidable challenge from the third seeds, Burmakin and Giovannini (ITA).

In the women's draw, second seeds Sophia Chow (BRA) and Vitoria Marchezini (BRA) narrowly avoided an early exit in their first-round match, coming from three points down in a match tiebreak to secure victory. However, their luck ran out in the second round when they were defeated in another match tiebreak by Italian wildcards and hometown favorites, the Romani twins. Backed by an enthusiastic crowd, the Romani twins delivered a stunning upset, ending the Brazilians' hopes of climbing to the top of the Beach Tennis rankings.

With the No. 2 seeds out, the tournament remains wide open.

The Romani twins will face 19-year-olds Semenova and Kudinova in the quarterfinals, after the young pair knocked out seventh seeds Francesconi and Trippa (ITA) in round two.

In another quarterfinal, Veronica Casadei (ITA) and Ariadna Costa Graell (ESP) will take on third seeds Flaminia Daina (ITA) and Nicole Nobile (ITA). Casadei and Costa Graell will be looking to repeat their semi-final victory over Daina and Nobile from the Saarlouis tournament, where they won in a tight match, 4-6, 7-6, 10-4.