The sun sets on the opening day of CEV EuroBeachVolley 2020

Jurmala, Latvia, September 15, 2020. We have waited a long time for it and the opening day of CEV EuroBeachVolley in Jurmala, Latvia did not disappoint with the Women's competition being in the spotlight. With matches from all Pools taking place on 3 of the 4 courts, we were able to see the main contenders at work.

Among the first matches of the day on the Main Court was that from Pool A, with the Swiss stars Tanja Hüberli/Nina Betschart (seeded 1st) taking on the Polish duo of Monika Brzostek/Aleksandra Gromadowska (seeded 32nd). Despite a disparity in expectations, the match proved to be more balanced than expected, the favourites having to work hard for every point throughout the 2-set, for a 37-minute-long match (21-18, 21-16). Speaking after the game, the importance of being able to be a part of a big competition again seemed to be more important than the win for Nina Betschart. “It feels amazing, I think it is really cool that we can still play the European Championships even with the coronavirus, and I think they do a great job here to make us feel safe.”

One of the most exciting matches of the day for the fans present in the Arena was that between the young Latvian duo Anete Namike/Varvara Brailko, crowned U20 European Champions just two days ago, and the more experienced team from the Czech Republic, Barbora Hermannova/Marketa Slukova (seeded 6th). Despite the eventual loss in two sets (21-16, 21-16), Latvian and beach volleyball fans in general can definitely be excited about the future of this young team.

The first day of the CEV EuroBeachVolley also offered us a couple of surprises with unexpected wins for Lézana Placette/Alexia Richard (France) vs the German champions Sandra Ittlinger/Chantal Laboureur in three sets (21-16, 24-26, 15-5) and a win for Spain's Amaranta/Lobato against yet another German team, Kim Behrens/Cinja Tillmann, in straight sets (21-19, 21-12).

The competition resumes tomorrow, until then you can dive into the full list of results, detailed statistics and more on the official website of the competition EuroBeachVolley.CEV.eu