LUANCO/STARNBERG, July 20, 2024

The tennis surfaces on the Pro Tour are varied: red or green clay, different hard courts, grass, and occasionally even carpet in some indoor venues. However, a unique event takes place annually in Luanco, a charming coastal town with around 6,000 inhabitants in the northern Spanish region of Asturias. Located on the Bay of Biscay, Luanco is known for its picturesque beaches, which also serve as the literal foundation for a distinctive tennis event.

Beach Tennis

2024 BDO Tenis Playa Luanco

In the summer of 1971, a group of friends in Luanco began organizing a regional tennis tournament that, over the years, has evolved into one of the most remarkable sports events of the Asturian summer. Due to a lack of dedicated facilities, tennis enthusiasts Francisco and Carlos Artime, along with some friends, made use of the local beaches. The very clay-like and fine texture of the sand provided acceptable conditions for their initial matches.

The group’s entrepreneurial spirit led to the creation of a tennis tournament played in a format similar to the Davis Cup. The participants included four teams of two players each. Three teams were from Luanco, and one was from the nearby town of Candás. Using extremely rudimentary means—fish net scraps hung on wooden posts and furrows in the sand to mark the court—the organizers compensated for the lack of resources with imagination and enthusiasm. They even appointed a referee who sat atop a step ladder serving as the umpire’s chair. The singles champion of this first edition was José Antonio Fernández Badalla, who defeated Francisco Artime. The doubles champions were the Artime brothers.

Improved playing conditions

Thus began the development of a tennis classic, unique in the world for being played on a sand beach. Subsequent editions gradually brought technical improvements and greater participation. The net for the second edition was made by the organizers’ girlfriends to more closely resemble an official one. In 1976, metal plates were designed to mark the court lines instead of the original furrows in the sand, a method that proved excellent and is still used today. Despite a hiatus from 1986 to 1994, the tournament was revived in the summer of 1995 and has since gained impressive popularity among both spectators and participants.

International Tennis Stars in Luanco

Manuel Orantes, Manolo Santana, Richard Gasquet, Jiri Novak, and Cedric Pioline have all played here. Winners of the Tenis Playa Luanco include Alex Corretja (1998), Carlos Moya (1999), Juan Carlos Ferrero (2000 and 2008), Fernando Verdasco (2005), David Ferrer (2009), and Pablo Carreno Busta (2022), among others.

Schwartzman triumphs in 2024

This year, another former top-10 star, Diego Schwartzman, won the XXXVII Torneo BDO Tenis Playa Luanco. The 31-year-old Argentine defeated his compatriot Pedro Cachin 3-6, 6-3, 10-3 in the final on Friday evening in front of over 2,300 spectators at Playa La Ribera.

“I am very grateful to have been able to play in the Torneo BDO Tenis Playa,” Schwartzman said after the match. “I am thrilled and it was a pleasure to participate in this event, which works regardless of the names that come. That is very difficult in any sport. I hope to come back in the future to enjoy the special atmosphere of Asturias and this tournament. I enjoyed it very much and am taking the trophy home because winning is always important.”

Runner-up Cachin also highlighted the uniqueness of the tournament: “This tournament is different because it is played on the beach and also because of the warm welcome we receive, which makes it seem like we have known each other for a long time, even though it’s only been since yesterday. This speaks well of the event and Asturias. I hope to be back here next year,” the World No. 110 summarized.

¡Enormes @dieschwartzman y @pecachin1! Gran Final del Torneo BDO #Tenis Playa #Luanco#TorneoBDOTenisPlaya#TorneoBDOTenisPlayaLuanco pic.twitter.com/E4UyWSu1Hv

— Torneo BDO Tenis Playa de Luanco (@TenisLuanco) July 19, 2024