BELEM/STARNBERG, July 8, 2024
The Ano V Brasil Tennis Classic, an ITF World Tennis Tour M15 hard-court event held in Belem, concluded with a Brazilian champion. Pedro Sakamoto defeated US-American Alexander Stater 6-4, 6-1 in one hour and 37 minutes in the singles final.
The journey of both finalists to Sunday was quite similar, including the strain of the matches played on Saturday. Top seed Sakamoto, ranked World No. 328, was solid throughout the week, losing only one set in the semi-final against Jose Pereira. The same went for Stater, 25 years old and ranked 772nd in the world, who also needed three sets to get past Lorenzo Esquici in the stage of the last four.
At the age of 31, Sakamoto’s experience taught him how to take care of his body and mind, finding capable people to help daily, eating and sleeping well, balancing training, and not overdoing it. Thus, he reached the final with the energy of a youngster, in a tournament that challenged many young players with its natural difficulties like heat and humidity.
After an even first set in the championship match, Sakamoto completely dominated the second, crowning a week of high-level tennis with his first trophy of the season.
The 15 points he gained from the title making him the sixth-best Brazilian in the ATP Rankings. In terms of prizes, Sakamoto took home $2,160. The finalist received $1,272 in prize money and 8 ATP Ranking points.
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“I think it was a great week, I was very solid in all the matches, a result of the work I have been doing with my team in Rio de Janeiro. I feel very good and despite the extreme conditions here in Belem, I managed to stay until the end thanks to Paulao (Paulo Santos, physiotherapist) who accompanied me this week,” said Sakamoto.
“It was a tough victory, but I think I served very well today and when he lowered his intensity, I took the opportunity to dominate the points and that was the key to the match,” added the champion.
Leal and Oliveira crowned doubles champions
Brazilians Vitor Leal and Nicolas Oliveira won the doubles title at the Brasil Tennis Classic. They defeated their compatriots Joaquim Almeida and Lorenzo Esquici 6-3, 6-7(5), 10-7.
Although they train at the same academy in Rio de Janeiro, Leal and Oliveira teamed up together at a tournament for the first time. The partnership worked well, as they won their first team title. Leal, 24, had previously come close in another doubles final and thanked his partner Oliveira for the title.
“Certainly, this week will be unforgettable for me, my first professional title, my first time here, and I will always remember Belem,” said Leal, whose game is becoming increasingly consistent and solid. “I feel that at the start of my professional career, we play more freely, without pressure, and my tennis has been flowing better this way,” he explained.
Leal and Oliveira split $930 in prize money and collected 15 ATP Doubles Ranking points.
