The ITF today announced the nominations for the 2015 ITF Beach Tennis World Team Championship to be held at Russia’s National Tennis Centre in Moscow on 15-19 July. The event is being hosted by the Russian Tennis Federation for the fourth year running with a record 28 nations entered.
Defending champions Italy will return as favourites, fielding the current men’s and women’s World Champions in a team largely unchanged from last year’s winning combination. Brazil’s team features five top ten players including three former world number ones in Samantha Barijan, Joana Cortez, and Vinicius Font.
This year’s event marks the inaugural Junior Team Championship, which becomes the first ITF junior beach tennis competition and will see five nations join hosts Russia to compete for the title.
The Team Championship is a mixed competition in which nations compete against each other on a knock-out basis. Each team will be comprised of a minimum of two men and two women, with ties consisting of a men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles rubber.
The Team Championship has joined the individual ITF Beach Tennis World Championships as the flagship events on the ITF Beach Tennis Tour. The 2015 Tour will see around 240 events held in 32 nations, while 55 nations are currently represented in the ITF Beach Tennis World Rankings.
2015 BEACH TENNIS WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
TEAM NOMINATIONS
Austria
Men: Roy Krawcewicz, Martin Schmidt
Women: Verena Amesbauer, Marlena Metzinger
Captain: Martin Schmidt
Belarus
Men: Eduard Biaskosty, Ihar Lakhvich
Women: Volha Biruk, Volha Predushchanka
Captain: Anastasiya Zvaryka
Belgium
Men: Tom Beke, Joris Mees
Women: Eva Maes, Sindy Put
Captain: Tom Beke
Brazil
Men: Marcus Ferreira, Vinicius Font, Thales Santos
Women: Samantha Barijan, Joana Cortez, Flavia Muniz
Captain: Guilherme Prata
Bulgaria
Men: Emil Argirov, Rosen Nentchev
Women: Katina Simeonova, Lazarina Stefanova
Captain: tbc
China
Men: Sun Hong, Zhu Ding Qiang
Women: Jin Heng Yu, Xia Meng Ru
Captain: Hu Jun
Cyprus
Men: Spyros Georgiou, Marios Klitou, Christos Yiannakis Voniatis*
Women: Vaso Karasava Hambides, Polina Karafylli
Captain: Marios Klitou
*Subject to confirmation
Czech Republic
Men: Vojtech Dohnal, Jan Sykora
Women: Dagmar Dudlakova, Klara Hladaka
Captain: Ivan Grin
Estonia
Men: Ott Ahonen, Priit Pihl
Women: Anelle Luik, Grete Helena Roose
Captain: Margus Ungerson
France
Men: Patrice Bang, Regis Courtois
Women: Marie-Eve Hoarau, Mathilde Hoarau
Captain: Regis Courtois
Germany
Men: Nils Muschiol, Benjamin Ringlstetter
Women: Maraike Biglmaier, Carina Blank
Captain: Gerd Hummel
Great Britain
Men: Michael McBride, Yiannis Toumazis
Women: Carole Madge, Suzy Madge
Captain: Suzy Madge
Greece
Men: Georgios Martinis, Grigorios Raptis
Women: Eleni Eirini Papavasileiou, Evangelia Tsavou
Captain: Nikolaos Raptis
Hungary
Men: Attila Bozsik, Peter Hatala
Women: Monika Erdelyi, Lili Petra Kendik, Aniko Kovacs
Captain: Peter Schmidt
Israel
Men: Lior Brik, Eyal Burshtein, Chen Fraiberg
Women: Alona Alekhin, Alina Menukhin
Captain: Anna Kaplevich
Italy
Men: Alessandro Calbucci, Luca Carli, Marco Garavini
Women: Federica Bacchetta, Sofia Cimatti, Eva D’Elia
Captain: Mario Trebbi
Japan
Men: Kotaro Aizawa, Daisuke Tsuruoka, Naoaki Yamamoto
Women: Misa Miyasaka, Mayumi Umeda, Kaori Yanase
Captain: Kotaro Aizawa
Latvia
Men: Stanislavs Rabinovics, Nikita Ribakovs, Oskars Vaskis
Women: Ilona Giberte, Jelena Ostapenko, Anna Svaronoka
Captain: Stanislavs Rabinovics
Lithuania
Men: Eligijus Macinskas, Skirmantas Macinskas, Luidzi Pakula
Women: Evelina Abaraviciute, Gabriele Sinskaite
Captain: Jurga Saulius
Mauritius
Men: tbc
Women: tbc
Captain: tbc
Morocco
Men: Anass Bouaouda, Adil Medina
Women: Selma Hidass, Meryem Oufares
Captain: Serghini Anbari Reda
Portugal
Men: Pedro Correia, Filipe Rebelo
Women: Catarina Alexandrino, Manuela Cunha
Captain: Dino Almeida
Russia
Men: Sergey Kuptsov, Leva Nanava
Women: Daria Churakova, Natalia Timofeeva
Captain: tbc
San Marino
Men: Nicolo Bombini, Alvise Galli
Women: Alice Grandi, Camilla Zafferani
Captain: Giuseppe Zafferani
Spain
Men: Gerard Rodriguez, Antonio Ramos
Women: Pilar Escandell, Rosa Sitja
Captain: Jose Maria Piza
Switzerland
Men: Kevin Fischer, Patrick Thomet
Women: Nadia Leuenberger, Sara Leuenberger
Captain: Kevin Fischer
Thailand
Men: Chin Kampanatsanyakorn, Olan Tungwongkit
Women: Bongkoch Boratisa, Pairin Panjasilpa
Captain: Chin Kampanatsanyakorn
Venezuela
Men: Ramon Guedez, Jorge Penalver, Pedro Penalver
Women: Lady Correa, Patricia Diaz
Captain: Oscar Eduardo Siritt Alcala
photo credit: sardiniansharks
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JUNIORS NOMINATIONS
Brazil
Boys: Antonio Vitor Ferreira Tremura, Pedro Henrique Da Silva Braganca
Girls: Isabella Costa Dalmagro, Eduarda Schuck Silva
Captain: Edwin Suikerbuik
Cyprus
Boys: Kanaris Michael, Kanaris Pappas
Girls: Theodora Pappa, Kyriaki Tsangara
Captain: Soteris Michael
Italy
Boys: Mattia Bazzi, Riccardo Biagioli, Mattia Taroni
Girls: Elisa Fuligna, Camilla Spadoni, Giulia Taddei
Captain: Michele Folegatti
Latvia
Boys: Renars Grodskis, Ilja Korobkovs, Valerijs Vorobjovs
Girls: Dana Zuravlova, Stefania Poliscuka, Una Steinharde
Captain: Rolands Rembergs
Lithuania
Boys: Matas Lukstaraupis, Vilius Medvedevas
Girls: Adelina Norvaisaite, Giedre Stankeviciute
Captain: Donatas Puliukonis
Russia
Boys: Vasilii Reutov, Alexander Sedinkin
Girls: Ekaterina Glazkova, Anna Romanova, Anastasia Roslichenko
Captain: Artem Paramonychev
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