There are some beautiful memories in Alison Van Uytvanck’s mind linked to Gaibaarecchi. “When you win a tournament they never fail”she underlines with satisfaction after having started again where she left off two years ago. “I’ve played six games here and I’m still unbeaten, I want to continue like this”. The Veneto Open promoted by the Veneto Region for 2024 started under a very hot pre-summer sun and the Belgian, with a light complexion and red hair, immediately made things clear. Not just in words, but in deeds: a good start and two sets used to regain confidence with the Venetian grass and to overcome the young Swiss Celine Naef, someone who, despite being 19 years old, has demonstrated her ability on the green. With excellent footwork, very deep shots and the right cuts, the Swiss made up for the experience gap with liveliness and physical exuberance and took a 5-2 lead in the first set. Then a few balls slipped away by inches, the serve creaked and the security crumbled under the greater habit and continuity of the Belgian who took the lead and then closed 7-5 6-1.
For one promising Swiss who says hello, there is another who instead keeps her feet firmly on the grass of Gaiba. This is Susan Bandecchi, Swiss passport, Tuscan roots and training base in Milan. “I’m not Italian, but it’s as if I were,” she smiles. And in fact there is no shortage of support for her in these parts, so everything was easier against Lulu Sun. “It also helped me that I had already played a qualifying match, but then every match must be won on the pitch.” To do so she scored a 6-3 6-4 in which she never encountered any major difficulties, despite the left-handed tennis – therefore particularly treacherous on these surfaces – of the 23-year-old New Zealander.
