2023 Throwback: Queen & King of the Court
As 2023 comes to an end, it is high time we looked back at the Beach Volleyball events that marked the past 12 months and made the fans of the sport across the continent enjoy the action to the fullest.
Beach Volleyball History in The Making
The second edition of the Queen & King of the Court is most definitely worth remembering, as it represented history in the making for the Beach Volleyball movement in Luxembourg. The event coincided with the 50th anniversary of the CEV as well as with the celebrations for 60 years since the foundation of the Luxembourg Volleyball Federation (FLVB).
Even His Royal Highness, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg enjoyed the exciting atmosphere of the European Finals of the Queen & King of the Court as he paid a special visit to the event that took place on the special built stadium in the heart of the city.
The Event
All but one 108 elite Beach Volleyball players gathered in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in late June. The Queen & King of the Court European Finals positioned Luxembourg on the global Beach Volleyball map, becoming one of the highlights of the season.
The Big Names
Karla Borger was the only one of the 2022 champions that entered the competition, trying to retain the title, as her 2022 partner, Chantal Laboureur, had retired earlier. On the men’s side, the 2022 champions Anders Mol and Christian Sørum of Norway were missing, as they didn’t take part in the competition.
The 2022 European champions Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova were among the main contenders among the women.
Among the men, Swedish David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig were considered favourites, trying to finish on a higher note than 2022 (when they were second), aiming as well to retain both continental titles simultaneously. However, Åhman had to play together with Elmer Andersson since Hellvig suffered an injury days before the event. Åhman and Andersson finished on the 13th place.
The Queens
Graudina and Samoilova did complete the mission and were crowned champions. The Latvian duo, who had won EuroBeachVolley back in 2019 as well, triumphed in the second edition of the QKOTC, joining Germans Karla Borger and Chantal Laboureur, the winners of the inaugural Queen & King of the Court European Finals, held in 2022.
The Latvians, who became the first team to hold both the EuroBeachVolley and QKOTC titles simultaneously, defeated teams from Germany, Poland and Austria.
Gruszczynska/Wachowicz of Poland finished on the second place, while Müller/Tillmann of Germany were third.
The Kings
Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler grabbed the trophy, becoming the second team to win the tournament, joining the 2022 champions, Norwegians Anders Mol and Christian Sørum.
The Germans delivered a nearly flawless performance, winning eight of the nine rounds they played after the quarterfinals. They did a very good job in the big finale as well, winning all three rounds and finishing with 10 points. To win the title, they had to overcome the Swiss Marco Krattiger and Florian Breer (eight points) and Polish Michal Bryl and Bartosz Łosiak, who reached five.
An Innovative Competition Formula
If you are still unfamiliar with the innovative competition formula, the Queen & King of the Court is a Beach Volleyball variant where the court is divided into a winner’s side and a challenger side. If the team on the Queen and King side wins the rally, they earn one point and remain on the same side. If the Queen and King side loses the rally, they leave the Queen and King side and wait for their turn on the challenger side.
Furthermore, there is a Golden Ball reward. When in a phase top 3 of each group advances to the next round, the teams can earn a golden ball in their match. This ball can be used in the next phase (can be earned only in the group stage or quarters), and can be used as a wash - to replay the rally.
Already looking forward to the 2024 Beach Volleyball Action?
Stay tuned!