Sosua-based 15-year old Francesca Segarelli came to the DR with her parents when she was not yet two years old. Little did they know that 14 years later she would become the DR’s star tennis player. She became a Dominican citizen in 2003 in order to represent the country. She qualified, together with teammate Diana Espinal, to play in the Group I of the American Zone of the Fed Cup of Tennis organized by the International Tennis Federation. As reported in an interview with Listin Diario, Segarelli has the strength, and Espinal the agility, which made them a perfect doubles combination in the event.
Born in Rome, Italy, Segarelli lives in Sosua and studies at the International School of Sosua. She has four brothers and sisters, and her parents are Tulio Segarelli and Daniela Giacchetti. She has big ambitions to stay in tennis and hopes to become one of the world’s 20 best players. She plans to study sports psychology. She has been playing tennis for 11 years and practices around three hours a day, coached by her father.
Winning teammate Diana Espinal is a student at the Louisiana University in Monroe, to which she won a scholarship. She traveled from Monroe to the DR to join Francesca, and made a perfect team. She is a 23-year old student of management and marketing, and is due to graduate later this year. She has four brothers and sisters and is the daughter of Elvis Espinal and Daysi Acevedo. She was born in Santo Domingo.
The duo’s next major commitment will be at the 15-30 July 2006 Central American and Caribbean Sports Games that will be held in Cartagena, Colombia.