Europeans fighting for medals on Balikesir Futures
News
The best beach volleyball teams in the world are currently competing at the World Championships in Rome, but those who didn’t qualify for the biggest event of the season headed to the Turkish city of Balikesir, the host city of the fifth Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Future tournament of 2022.
The Turkish city is hosting an international beach volleyball event for the first time and will be the stage of the tournament for the next four days. The previous Beach Pro Tour host cities in Europe were Spain’s Madrid, Greece’s Rhodes, Italy’s Cervia and Lithuania’s Klaipeda.
After the conclusion of Thursday’s qualifier, Europe will account for 11 of the 16 women’s teams competing in the women’s tournament. Hosts Türkiye, Spain and Lithuania have two duos each, with France, Austria, Finland, Belgium and Switzerland sending one tandem apiece. The main draw lineup in Balikesir also features teams from China, Japan, the United States and Vanuatu.
Recently-crowned U22 European champions Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno are the top-seeded team in the event. The two, who won the continental title last week in the Netherlands, will play in their first Futures event of the season.
Lithuanians Erika Kliokmanaite and Monika Paulikiene will also try to carry their good momentum into this week’s event. The two won the Klaipeda Futures earlier this month and will try to claim back-to-back titles this week.
On the men’s side, the European contingent will feature ten teams in the main draw. Türkiye and Austria lead the way with three duos while Spain, Serbia, Belgium and Lithuania have one team each. New Zealand, Australia and Qatar complete the list of countries represented in the event.
Seeded third, Austrians Maximillian Trummer and Felix Friedl are the highest-ranked European duo entering the event. The two competed in five Futures events this year, including Madrid and Rhodes, and have a fifth-place finish in Greece as their best result.
The 16-team main draws start on Friday, with the medal matches scheduled for Sunday.