Note – This press release was published in full as an external contribution. This content is therefore not an article produced by the BresciaToday editorial team
At the top of the list is the desire of many players to fight until the end to get a pass for the Paris Paralympics; then there is the change of date which brought the event forward from 16th to 19th May; and therefore the great credibility that the event has been able to build over the years. These are the three key ingredients that created the miracle of the tenth edition of the Camozzi Open – VII Memorial Cav. Attilio Camozzi, the international Itf Futures wheelchair tennis tournament organized by Active Sport on the clay courts of Tennis Forza e Costanza 1911 in Brescia (headquarters in via Signorini). Because the upcoming one will be by far the best edition ever, and between the men’s, women’s and Quad categories it will bring to the city almost forty top-100 of the world rankings, from more than twenty different countries on all continents.
A result destined to shatter all past participation records, and which promises matches of the highest level right from the first round. “Year after year – says Marco Colombo, president of Active Sport – we have worked to improve our organizational standards, and this result repays us for the efforts made. We will have athletes from all over the world: it is proof of how the Camozzi Open has become a prestigious showcase for Brescia also on a tourist level. We must thank our sponsors, but also the institutions, the volunteers, the press and all the people who collaborate to make the event a success. We are now a big family.” According to the men’s entry list of the tournament directed by Marco Salineri, equipped with 5,000 dollars in prize money, the first seed will be the Israeli Sergei Lysov (world no. 28), followed by the French Nicolas Charrier and the Argentine Ezequiel Casco . Also back in the race are the two veterans Martin Legner and Tadeusz Kruszelnicki, multiple winners at the Camozzi Open.
The first Italian admitted in the ranking is the young Abruzzo native Francesco Felici, last year’s finalist at the US Open juniors. Also present were the legend of the Italian movement Fabian Mazzei, Ivan Tratter and the Brescian Silviu Culea (returning to the Tour after three years of absence). In the women’s category, Marianna Lauro and Vanessa Ricci will be competing for Italy, in the draw led by the Israeli Maayan Zikri and the Chinese Zixi Ma. Great expectations for the Quad category, which will see the Brescian Alberto Saja (n.24 in the world and star of Active Sport) to hunt for the third title in a row in the home tournament, as first seed. But the competition will be tighter than ever, with four other top-50 players ready to play their cards. Also in the main draw are the other two local athletes Ivano Boriva and Mariagrazia Lumini, ready to play their part in an event which, as always, will combine sport and society. But never like this time is it destined to leave its mark, especially for what will happen on clay.
