RESULTS

Venus Williams is through to the second round of the 2019 Miami Open by beating Dalila Jakupovic 7-5, 6-3. The 91st-ranked Slovenian qualifier Jakupovic was her biggest match at a WTA Premier event. Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES Williams stated, “She hit a lot of great shots. I had never played her before so you don’t know what to expect, but I felt the crowd behind me..."   Winner of seven Grand Slams, Williams also added, “It’s great to be at the new facility, playing tennis right at home. I’m feeling good right now.”

Following her win over Yanina Wickmayer, World No. 1 Naomi Osaka was presented the keys to Miami-Dade County. Commissioner Jean Monestime and Senator Oscar Braynon recognized Osaka for the work she does in the community and for serving as an incredible role model for the youth in South Florida.

Kids’ Day took place at Hard Rock Stadium, as young tennis fans were treated to an amazing day. The rain did not stop the fun, as youth were able to volley with John Millman and 2017 Miami Open winner Johanna Konta. As the day went on, the excitement grew. Grand Slam winner Simona Halep took the kids by storm, pausing the tennis action to take selfies and sign autographs. Rising star Frances Tiafoe closed out the day with more tennis action and photos.

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won his match against Lukas Rosol 6-3, 6-4. He will face Pablo Cuevas which has won six ATP Tour titles. Also, top seed Radu Albot, winner of the Delray Beach title, advanced by beating Italian Gianluigi Quinzi 7-6(5), 6-0. Qualifying Singles - First Round Qualifying - [1] R. Albot (MDA) d G. Quinzi (ITA) 76(5) 60 Qualifying - [2] F. Auger-Aliassime (CAN) d L. Vanni (ITA) 46 64 61 Qualifying - [3] [WC] R. Opelka (USA) d H. Laaksonen (SUI) 76(7) 76(3) Qualifying - [4] M. McDonald (USA) d P. Polansky (CAN) 76(4) 75 Qualifying - L. Lacko (SVK) d [5] J. Londero (ARG) 64 61 Qualifying - B. Fratangelo (USA) d [6] C. Garin (CHI) 46 76(2) 61 Qualifying - [7] P. Cuevas (URU) d E. Gerasimov (BLR) 26 64 62 Qualifying - N. Rubin (USA) d [8] H. Dellien (BOL) 63 62 Qualifying - [9] L. Harris (RSA) d A. Popyrin (AUS) 64 62 Qualifying - [10] C. Ruud (NOR) d J. Jung (TPE) 76(4) 75 Qualifying - A. Bublik (KAZ) d [11] R. Berankis (LTU) 75 62 Qualifying - [12] P. Gunneswaran (IND) d A. Menendez-Maceiras (ESP) 62 64 Qualifying - [13] D. Evans (GBR) d T. Ito (JPN) 75 61 Qualifying - [14] D. Istomin (UZB) d D. King (BAR) 64 36 76(3) Qualifying - [15] A. Rublev (RUS) d J. Donaldson (USA) 62 63 Qualifying - [WC] M. Ymer (SWE) d [16] R. Harrison (USA) 61 63 Qualifying - [17] P. Lorenzi (ITA) d R. Bemelmans (BEL) 75 36 76(5) Qualifying - [18] L. Sonego (ITA) d R. Ramanathan (IND) 64 61 Qualifying - [19] M. Granollers (ESP) d [WC] Z. Khan (USA) 62 63 Qualifying - [WC] J. Clarke (GBR) d [20] J. Kovalik (SVK) 62 63 Qualifying - M. Krueger (USA) d [21] E. Ymer (SWE) 67(5) 60 64 Qualifying - [22] [WC] J. Tsonga (FRA) d L. Rosol (CZE) 63 64 Qualifying - [23] T. Monteiro (BRA) d K. Majchrzak (POL) 26 76(4) 62 Qualifying - [24] E. Donskoy (RUS) d A. Bolt (AUS) 76(7) 63 Women's Qualifying Singles - First Round Qualifying - M. Doi (JPN) d [1] A. Potapova (RUS) 36 76(10) 76(2) Qualifying - N. Hibino (JPN) d [2] E. Bouchard (CAN) 46 60 64 Qualifying - [3] D. Jakupovic (SLO) d F. Ferro (FRA) 16 63 62 Qualifying - [4] V. Golubic (SUI) d [WC] K. Thandi (IND) 60 30 Retired Qualifying - S. Vickery (USA) d [5] J. Brady (USA) 26 63 62 Qualifying - M. Bouzkova (CZE) d [6] K. Boulter (GBR) 64 62 Qualifying - [7] K. Kanepi (EST) d P. Badosa Gibert (ESP) 63 63 Qualifying - A. Rus (NED) d [8] B. Pera (USA) 63 30 Retired Qualifying - M. Niculescu (ROU) d [9] L. Arruabarrena (ESP) 60 26 64 Qualifying - [10] T. Townsend (USA) d [WC] Q. Zheng (CHN) 46 75 64 Qualifying - [11] Kr. Pliskova (CZE) d A. Bogdan (ROU) 64 16 75 Qualifying - [12] P. Hercog (SLO) d F. Stollar (HUN) 62 62 Qualifying - [13] M. Linette (POL) d [WC] C. Dolehide (USA) 75 76(5) Qualifying - [14] J. Pegula (USA) d [WC] A. Kiick (USA) 75 60 Qualifying - I. Swiatek (POL) d [15] Z. Diyas (KAZ) 62 75 Qualifying - K. Kozlova (UKR) d [16] L. Zhu (CHN) 06 64 62 Qualifying - [17] M. Brengle (USA) d H. Watson (GBR) 67(2) 63 64 Qualifying - [18] M. Barthel (GER) d H. Dart (GBR) 36 64 76(5) Qualifying - L. Siegemund (GER) d [19] S. Cirstea (ROU) 46 75 75 Qualifying - [20] M. Minella (LUX) d [WC] C. Mchale (USA) 26 76(3) 64 Qualifying - Y. Wickmayer (BEL) d [21] V. Kudermetova (RUS) 64 62 Qualifying - K. Muchova (CZE) d [22] V. Diatchenko (RUS) 76(6) 61 Qualifying - [23] T. Babos (HUN) d S. Voegele (SUI) 36 75 64 Qualifying - [WC] B. Haddad Maia (BRA) d [24] A. Blinkova (RUS) 26 63 62 ORDER OF PLAY - TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2019 GRANDSTAND start 12:00 noon WTA - A. Petkovic (GER) vs A. Anisimova (USA) WTA - [WC] Xiy. Wang (CHN) vs M. Puig (PUR) WTA - E. Rodina (RUS) vs S. Stosur (AUS) WTA - [WC] W. Osuigwe (USA) vs [WC] M. Osaka (JPN) COURT 1 start 10:00 am ATP - Qualifying - [3] [WC] R. Opelka (USA) vs [19] M. Granollers (ESP) Not Before 11:00 am WTA - V. Kuzmova (SVK) vs D. Gavrilova (AUS) WTA - [WC] O. Danilovic (SRB) vs M. Sakkari (GRE) WTA - A. Tomljanovic (AUS) vs A. Friedsam (GER) WTA - Y. Wang (CHN) vs K. Mladenovic (FRA) BUTCH BUCHHOLZ start 10:00 am ATP - Qualifying - [2] F. Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs [17] P. Lorenzi (ITA) Not Before 11:00 am WTA - E. Alexandrova (RUS) vs D. Yastremska (UKR) WTA - S. Sorribes Tormo (ESP) vs A. Krunic (SRB) WTA - [WC] N. Vikhlyantseva (RUS) vs M. Rybarikova (SVK) WTA - P. Parmentier (FRA) vs M. Gasparyan (RUS) COURT 6 start 10:00 am WTA - Qualifying - [7] K. Kanepi (EST) vs [23] T. Babos (HUN) WTA - Qualifying - [4] V. Golubic (SUI) vs [18] M. Barthel (GER) Not Before 12:00 noon WTA - Qualifying - [12] P. Hercog (SLO) vs L. Siegemund (GER) COURT 8 start 10:00 am ATP - Qualifying - [4] M. McDonald (USA) vs [18] L. Sonego (ITA) ATP - Qualifying - [7] P. Cuevas (URU) vs [22] [WC] J. Tsonga (FRA) Not Before 12:30 pm ATP - Qualifying - [9] L. Harris (RSA) vs [23] T. Monteiro (BRA) COURT 9 start 10:00 am ATP - Qualifying - [1] R. Albot (MDA) vs M. Krueger (USA) ATP - Qualifying - N. Rubin (USA) vs [WC] M. Ymer (SWE) ATP - Qualifying - [10] C. Ruud (NOR) vs [24] E. Donskoy (RUS) ATP - Qualifying - [12] P. Gunneswaran (IND) vs [WC] J. Clarke (GBR) COURT 2 start 10:00 am ATP - Qualifying - L. Lacko (SVK) vs [14] D. Istomin (UZB) Not Before 12:00 pm ATP - Qualifying - B. Fratangelo (USA) vs [15] A. Rublev (RUS) ATP - Qualifying - A. Bublik (KAZ) vs [13] D. Evans (GBR) COURT 3 start 10:00 am WTA - Qualifying - S. Vickery (USA) vs I. Swiatek (POL) WTA - Qualifying - A. Rus (NED) vs [14] J. Pegula (USA) Not Before 12:00 noon WTA - Qualifying - [11] Kr. Pliskova (CZE) vs Y. Wickmayer (BEL) COURT 4 start 10:00 am WTA - Qualifying - M. Niculescu (ROU) vs K. Kozlova (UKR) WTA - Qualifying - N. Hibino (JPN) vs [13] M. Linette (POL) Not Before 12:00 noon WTA - Qualifying - M. Bouzkova (CZE) vs K. Muchova (CZE) COURT 5 start 10:00 am WTA - Qualifying - [10] T. Townsend (USA) vs [WC] B. Haddad Maia (BRA) Not Before 11:30 am WTA - Qualifying - M. Doi (JPN) vs [20] M. Minella (LUX) WTA - Qualifying - [3] D. Jakupovic (SLO) vs [17] M. Brengle (USA)

Who will quality to play Miami Open's main draw? This year's qualifying ATP and WTA draw feature high level players including America's M. McDonald (ATP), Ryan Harrison (ATP), J Pegula (WTA), J Brady (WTA) including Canadian's E. Bouchard (WTA). Check out the complete schedule below: MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAU - MIAMI, USA $9,314,875 (ATP) $9,035,428 (WTA) 20-31 MARCH 2019 ORDER OF PLAY - MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2019 GRANDSTAND start 10:00 am ATP - Qualifying - [4] M. McDonald (USA) vs P. Polansky (CAN) ATP - Qualifying - [2] F. Auger-Aliassime (CAN) vs L. Vanni (ITA) ATP - Qualifying - [WC] M. Ymer (SWE) vs [16] R. Harrison (USA) ATP - Qualifying - L. Rosol (CZE) vs [22] [WC] J. Tsonga (FRA) Not Before 5:00 pm ATP - Qualifying - [11] R. Berankis (LTU) vs A. Bublik (KAZ) COURT 1 start 10:00 am WTA - Qualifying - [WC] A. Kiick (USA) vs [14] J. Pegula (USA) WTA - Qualifying - [5] J. Brady (USA) vs S. Vickery (USA) WTA - Qualifying - [2] E. Bouchard (CAN) vs N. Hibino (JPN) WTA - Qualifying - [WC] C. Mchale (USA) vs [20] M. Minella (LUX) WTA - Qualifying - [11] Kr. Pliskova (CZE) vs A. Bogdan (ROU) BUTCH BUCHHOLZ start 10:00 am ATP - Qualifying - [WC] Z. Khan (USA) vs [19] M. Granollers (ESP) ATP - Qualifying - [3] [WC] R. Opelka (USA) vs H. Laaksonen (SUI) ATP - Qualifying - J. Donaldson (USA) vs [15] A. Rublev (RUS) ATP - Qualifying - [9] L. Harris (RSA) vs A. Popyrin (AUS) ATP - Qualifying - T. Ito (JPN) vs [13] D. Evans (GBR) COURT 8 start 10:00 am ATP - Qualifying - [5] J. Londero (ARG) vs L. Lacko (SVK) ATP - Qualifying - M. Krueger (USA) vs [21] E. Ymer (SWE) Not Before 4:30 pm ATP - Qualifying - [6] C. Garin (CHI) vs B. Fratangelo (USA) ATP - Qualifying - K. Majchrzak (POL) vs [23] T. Monteiro (BRA) COURT 9 start 10:00 am ATP - Qualifying - R. Ramanathan (IND) vs [18] L. Sonego (ITA) ATP - Qualifying - [1] R. Albot (MDA) vs G. Quinzi (ITA) ATP - Qualifying - [8] H. Dellien (BOL) vs N. Rubin (USA) ATP - Qualifying - [10] C. Ruud (NOR) vs J. Jung (TPE) ATP - Qualifying - [12] P. Gunneswaran (IND) vs A. Menendez-Maceiras (ESP) COURT 2 start 10:00 am ATP - Qualifying - D. King (BAR) vs [14] D. Istomin (UZB) ATP - Qualifying - R. Bemelmans (BEL) vs [17] P. Lorenzi (ITA) ATP - Qualifying - [7] P. Cuevas (URU) vs E. Gerasimov (BLR) ATP - Qualifying - A. Bolt (AUS) vs [24] E. Donskoy (RUS) ATP - Qualifying - [WC] J. Clarke (GBR) vs [20] J. Kovalik (SVK) COURT 3 start 10:00 am WTA - Qualifying - [8] B. Pera (USA) vs A. Rus (NED) WTA - Qualifying - [10] T. Townsend (USA) vs [WC] Q. Zheng (CHN) WTA - Qualifying - [WC] C. Dolehide (USA) vs [13] M. Linette (POL) WTA - Qualifying - K. Muchova (CZE) vs [22] V. Diatchenko (RUS) WTA - Qualifying - Y. Wickmayer (BEL) vs [21] V. Kudermetova (RUS) COURT 4 start 10:00 am WTA - Qualifying - K. Kozlova (UKR) vs [16] L. Zhu (CHN) WTA - Qualifying - [9] L. Arruabarrena (ESP) vs M. Niculescu (ROU) WTA - Qualifying - [7] K. Kanepi (EST) vs P. Badosa Gibert (ESP) WTA - Qualifying - [1] A. Potapova (RUS) vs M. Doi (JPN) WTA - Qualifying - L. Siegemund (GER) vs [19] S. Cirstea (ROU) COURT 5 start 10:00 am WTA - Qualifying - [4] V. Golubic (SUI) vs [WC] K. Thandi (IND) WTA - Qualifying - I. Swiatek (POL) vs [15] Z. Diyas (KAZ) WTA - Qualifying - S. Voegele (SUI) vs [23] T. Babos (HUN) WTA - Qualifying - H. Watson (GBR) vs [17] M. Brengle (USA) WTA - Qualifying - [6] K. Boulter (GBR) vs M. Bouzkova (CZE) COURT 7 start 10:00 am WTA - Qualifying - H. Dart (GBR) vs [18] M. Barthel (GER) WTA - Qualifying - [WC] B. Haddad Maia (BRA) vs [24] A. Blinkova (RUS) Not Before 4:30 pmWTA - Qualifying - [3] D. Jakupovic (SLO) vs F. Ferro (FRA) WTA - Qualifying - [12] P. Hercog (SLO) vs F. Stollar (HUN)

The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board and Chef Adrianne Calvo hosted an exclusive event previewing of the BVI’s upcoming Food Fête festival at the recently opened Yumbrella in South Miami. Top local BVI chefs, such as Ariq Flax-Clarke and Scrub Island’s new Executive Chef Chloe St-Cyr also attended and prepared dishes at Yumbrella. The preview gave an overview of Food Fête’s main events, which will span six islands and seven days, spread out between November 7 and December 1. BVI Food Fête was launched in 2014 to bring greater awareness to the islands’ diverse culinary scene. For more info, visit https://www.facebook.com/ bvifoodfete/. Click below to launch slideshow > Images courtesy of British Virgin Islands Tourist Board

Citi Taste of Tennis Miami is the ultimate food and tennis experience! Kick off the Miami Open in style, rub elbows with tennis’ biggest stars and enjoy cuisine prepared by the city’s leading chefs. Don't miss this Miami Living Magazine sponsored event! It all happens poolside at the SLS Brickell. You’ve never had food served like this! This event is likely to sell out so get your tickets today!

By Adriana Garuolis It is springtime in Miami and the energy in the air is electric as highly-anticipated, world-class caliber events abound in this tropical peninsula, and there is no doubt that the 2019 Miami Open sits amongst the top of this exciting activity frenzy for both locals and tourists alike. Inaugurating its new home at the more centrally located and expansive Hard Rock Stadium, the 35th edition of the Miami Open presented by Itau showcases 12 days of thrilling tennis featuring the best players from around the world.  Overall, 18 of the top 20 ATP players are competing on the men’s side of the draw and a solid 20 out of 20 top ranked WTA players will be battling it out on the women’s side of the draw. The new venue at Miami Gardens involved a $72 million investment to transform the already existing professional football stadium and its surrounding areas into a state-of-the-art tennis venue.  The Hard Rock Stadium is proud to present its players and tennis fans with: expanded parking facilities located right next to the tennis complex, a 14,000-seat stadium court, 30 permanent show and practice courts, one-of-a-kind luxury seating experiences, and a sizable tennis oasis showcasing the culture, food, art and entertainment of South Florida. Of notable mentions this year: * Swiss superstar Roger Federer returns to the Miami Open for his 18th appearance since his debut in 1999.  The 37 year old legendary champion is so far steamrolling this season at 12-2, highlighted by a 100th tour level title (near record-breaking, surpassed only by Jimmy Connors with 109 titles) at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships earlier this month. * Last year’s champion at the Miami Open, the towering John Isner (currently ranked No. 9 in the world), will be back to defend his title as the first American to win the Miami crown since Andy Roddick in 2010. * Expect edge-of-your-seat match-ups between the well-known top seed powerhouses Novak Djokovic (No. 1), Alexander Zverev (No. 3) and Kevin Anderson (No. 5) with their rising celebrious NextGenATP opponents Stefanos Tsitsipas (No. 8), Denis Shapovalov (No. 20) and Frances Tiafoe (No. 28). * Holding an astounding 8 titles in Miami, Serena Williams (No. 10) returns this year to contend amongst the toughest and most exciting of players in the hot zone of the tennis world today: Naomi Osaka (No. 1), winner of the last two Grandslam Opens; Simona Halep (No. 2) whom stands right at the heels of Osaka for that top seed ranking, having held the No. 1 spot as recently as January of this year; and rapidly rising Canadian phenom Bianca Andreescu (No. 70) whom stole the spotlight last week at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, becoming the first teenager to win at Indian Wells since Serena Williams in 2001 as well as the youngest to win there since Serena in 1999.

If weight loss is an annual goal for you in 2019, there are few better ways to support your goal than picking up a smart scale. The QardioBase 2 is one of the front runners in this category, building on the success of its predecessor, which helped launch an industry. Offering multiple measurements beyond just weight, and paired with a robust companion application on your smartphone, the QardioBase 2 makes it easy to measure and track your body composition over time. The simple beauty of the QardioBase 2 is that it records your measurements over time, and displays progress and trends over time through the touch of a button on your phone. It eliminates the need to write down or remember the numbers last time you stepped on the scale—it also makes positive progress far more visually rewarding. The scale’s smarts move beyond simple weight tracking, though. In addition to measuring weight, the scale can also measure the composition of your body, breaking it down by body fat, muscle, bone, and water composition. Finally, a Body Mass Index provides a single number to assess your overall weight goals. These additional measurements are especially important if your fitness goals extend beyond weight loss, or if you couple a healthy diet with trips to the gym. You may not witness the weight measurement dropping as much as you’d hoped, but you’ll see the gains in muscle mass while the body fat composition diminishes—and equally good (or better) result! If all the numbers just give you anxiety, the QardioBase 2 includes a Smart Feedback Mode which expresses progress towards your goals using a smiling, frowning, or neutral face just like you’d see in your text messages. Of course, the measurements are still tracked and recorded in the app for posterity, if you want to see how big that smile (or frown) should really be! For pregnant women, the QardioBase 2 features a Pregnancy Mode that limits measurements to weight only during pregnancy (the electric impulses that are used for the other measurements can present risks for pregnant women and pacemaker users). After birth, the scale will help track expected health and progress back towards pre-pregnancy weight. It’s a cool mode that you won’t find on other smart scales. The QardioBase 2 packs these features into a 13.4” disc that is less than an inch thick. The abnormal form factor looks more stylish than a typical square bathroom scale, and comes in “Arctic White” or “Volcanic Black” to match the decor of most modern homes. Its elegant design is a point of pride for Qardio, and indeed, the scale looks far more sleek than most smart home gadgets. With haptic feedback, goal tracking, a rechargeable battery, multiple modes, and automatic detection of up to eight fa mily members, the QardioBase 2 is a fully featured smart scale that can easily help you on your road to a better body and a better lifestyle. If you’re looking to make some changes in 2019, there’s no better place to start! For more information, visit: www.getqardio.com Story by Thomas Bender

Some of our favorite Miami Open 2018 moments. Images by Javier Delgado.

The new home at Hard Rock Stadium features some impressive facilities. Here are a few of them: Expedited parking which is located directly adjacent to our new tennis complex A 14,000-seat center court within Hard Rock Stadium featuring intimate and luxurious sitting options. State-of-the-art in-stadium shade canopy and a luxury seating experience unlike anything in tennis A spacious tennis campus featuring 29 permanent tournament and practice courts A comfortable spectator oasis showcasing the culture, food, art and entertainment of South Florida, highlighted by the largest video board in tennis to catch all the action

Mangusta introduces Oceano’s Namasté -- a yacht built for great onboard livability, impressive long range, and maximum comfort. Mangusta is internationally known for exceptional style, innovation, and performance. And those characteristics continue to shine in their new metal production -a transcendent offering providing efficiency and comfort in a new and different range of speed. Namasté is a vessel of the tri-decker, long-range line, the Mangusta Oceano. This model stands out for her great onboard livability, impressive long range, and maximum comfort –the result of the perfect harmony and understanding between designer Alberto Mancini and Overmarine Group’s Technical Departments. At 43 meters and 451 gross tons, she is a high-volume vessel for her size, with a layout that includes a captain’s cabin behind the wheelhouse, a forward tender garage, a full automatic electric hydraulic side ladder, an infinity pool, an extendible balcony in the owner’s cabin and a dedicated beach club —standard enough features for Mega Yachts, but unusual on a yacht under 150 feet (45 meters). In a sense, on Namasté, you have the feeling of being aboard a much larger yacht. Upon its U.S. debut, on the occasion of the recently-held Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, she earned the “Best of the Show.” After the several awards won in Europe by this model, this new one comes on a very important market like the American one, which is indeed showing great appreciation for Mangusta’s products and values. Living in direct contact with the sea Open-style boats provide total immersion in the marine environment, from feeling the wind in your hair to being just a few steps from the water at anchor. Namasté does. This is much more difficult to achieve on a tri-deck displacement yacht, creating a challenge for both the designer and the shipyard. Click below to launch slideshow > The study of natural and artificial light was an essential part of Mancini’s approach. By using glass, both transparent and mirrored, to bounce light around the interior and reduce visual barriers to the outside world, Mangusta has succeeded in reducing the divide between the interior and exterior spaces so that guests always feel close to the water. At bow there is what is perhaps the most characteristic feature on the entire yacht, a design element indeed, but what is also a lifestyle choice in keeping with the very best of Mangusta tradition. The area is marked by an infinity pool, the only one of its kind --at least on a yacht of this size-- which comprises two sunbathing “islands” and a waterfall at extreme bow. It’s a glass-bottomed wading pool that creates rippling, azure patterns in the owner’s bathroom on the main deck below. Mirrored partitions between the bathroom and the full-beam stateroom ricochet the natural light around the interior, especially when the fold-down balcony is open. Another highly distinctive element is featured astern. Most beach clubs are windowless spaces designed for use at anchor with the swim platform deployed. But Namasté’s beach club is a real one, not just a convertible garage that normally fits tender and water toys. It’s also welcoming underway thanks to strip glazing in the transom that lets in sunlight. And when the transom door is lowered, the glass panels provide underwater views for guests relaxing in sun loungers. This is possible having moved the tender garage forward a nice piece of engineering designed by the Overmarine Technical department. A steel-and-glass coffee table on the main deck aft, positioned above a skylight in the deck, provides further natural illumination for the beach club below. In fact, skylights connect all the deck levels. Characterising Design Alberto Mancini designed the entire yacht, including the interiors. He proposes a contemporary design with furnishings featuring soft, sinuous shapes, and contrasts of “hot and cold” materials. Painstaking care has been taken over the design of the lighting too, which features a combination of direct and indirect light which is high impact, both aesthetically and emotionally. The aim was to increase the perception of space without creating any visual disturbances -a real game of atmospheres. Click below to launch slideshow > The main deck houses the salon, with the dining-room and adjacent galley, the lobby with the stairway leading to both the lower and upper levels and, of course, the full beam master suite.nOn crossing the threshold into the main salon, the feeling one gets is that of being suspended over the sea: the floor to ceiling glazing lets huge amounts of light into the various different environments, offering a breathtaking view and increased perception of space. The result is an uninterrupted dialogue with the great outdoors. When the sliding glass windows are open the boundaries disappear completely, also thanks to the open gunwale. The ceilings have been clad in raw silk and Alcantara, the walls in natural bleached oak and the flooring has been laid in planed oak. The lounge area is fitted out with sofas with light lines and proportions, where the rationality of the volumes is accompanied by soft shapes and curves. A low black crystal cabinet with leather and steel inserts separates the dining area. Here, the wall is an example of the verticality and upward moving lines that are found in all the different environments. The verticality and fluidity of the lines are accentuated by the indirect LED lighting system. Every furnishing, every decoration work together toward some greater whole, and the greater whole results in a unique environment where nothing is brash or shouting for attention and where the overriding feeling that results seems the one of serenity. The ship can also be accessed using an accommodation ladder, which overlooks the lobby from where those aboard can go through to the salon, Owner area and upper and lower decks. The glass and steel suspended staircase is a highly characterizing feature of the lobby: pure vertical and horizontal lines, that are further highlighted by three elements in polished steel that create a sculpture. The detail of the wall panel with a tapestry evoking a library mounted onto rear lit plexiglass is extremely beautiful. By walking down a corridor lined with wardrobes made of vertical planks and mirrors, those aboard can access the Owner suite, where the night area and head converse by means of sliding mirror doors, thus creating a unique environment in which the transparency of the ceiling in the head welcomes the refraction of the water in the swimming pool on the overlying sunbridge. In order to enhance the continuity of the various different environments, a circular pattern, created using a range of different materials featuring the same shades of dark colour, connects the ceiling, flooring, bedhead and shower. Eramosa marble has been used in the latter, for example, which was planned in order to mimic the flooring and leather bedhead. The rest of the flooring in the cabin features an extremely fine ivory carpet made of bamboo. Continuity is also featured outdoors: a balcony that can be opened allows the Owner to do away with any and all visual and structural boundaries in order to enjoy direct contact with the sea. On the opposite side of the lobby lies the galley in white lacquered wood with steel inserts. A service staircase connects it to the upper deck and also the lower one, where the crew area consisting in three twin cabins is located. Here, the materials used are the same as those on the rest of the yacht: natural varnished oak and ceilings in cream leather which have been lacquered. Only highly technical materials which are resistant to wear and tear have been used. Through a door located at bow, those aboard can access the side garage housing the tender, which has been custom-made to a design by Mancini in keeping with the style of the rest of the ship. The upper deck houses the wheelhouse in leather and Alcantara, based on shades of black and grey. The black leather seats feature red, racing style outlines, and the console with its glass top and built in red LED lights strongly evokes the automotive world. Astern, there is a large salon which can be turned into a cinema room, furnished with a curved panoramic TV, and three large sofas which can be pushed together to create a large, single daybed --perfect for Owner and his family. On the lower deck there are four guest cabins, two double and two twin, all with ensuite heads. On the designer’s suggestion, each cabin features a different style, inspired by exotic and Mediterranean holiday resorts, with combinations of colors, materials and decorations in the same theme. Each cabin can easily be identified from the name of the holiday location hot-pressed on the leather cladding the door to enter the cabin. Technical Innovations In terms of technology, this model is hard to beat, thanks to her world-class construction quality and impressive performance stats which, with her twin MTU 12V 2000 M72 engines, include an 11-knot cruising speed and nearly 5,000 nautical mile range. She also boasts highly economical fuel consumption due to a CFD-optimized, tank-tested hull profile while the use of the latest vibration and noise dampening materials mean minimal intrusion is made into guest’s experience. Built in steel and aluminum, with a bulbous bow and bilge keels, she is a unique vessel in terms of her aesthetics as well as her functionality. Classed by ABS and designed to allow commercial registration, Namasté is a pedigree yacht designed to highest standards. For more information, visit www.mangustayachts.com. By Miami Living, Images courtesy of Mangusta