Top Contenders Women

Luxembourg, September 12, 2020. A little over a year ago, the Latvian duo of Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka achieved a seemingly impossible task when they managed to win Gold at the 2019 #EuroBeachVolley hosted by the Luzhniki complex in Moscow. In 2020, they are getting ready to play another final tournament, this time on home court, as Jurmala - Latvia will be hosting #EuroBeachVolley 2020 (15-20 September 2020). 

However, if the current titleholders want to retain the trophy won last year they will have to overcome fierce competition from 31 of the best teams in the world, each of them holding high hopes that they could achieve European glory. Despite the surprises that could take place, some teams, more than others, have a claim at winning the title, so let's take a look at the Top Contenders for this year's EuroBeachVolley!

Tanja Hüberli/Nina Betschart (SUI)

This Swiss duo is heading to Jurmala, Latvia as leader of the pack, according to the rankings, and their position has been truly earned through hard work. Since 2016, when the pair joined forces to compete on the same team, they have managed to garner quite a bit of momentum, winning several Swiss National Championships along the way and making their mark on the World Tour. Their best performance came at the 2018 EuroBeachVolley held in The Netherlands, when they managed to win the silver medal. Two years later, will they manage to take another step further and win Gold? We will definitely keep an eye out for them throughout next week as they take to the court in Pool A, which features Ceynowa/Kociolek and Brzostek/Gromadowska from Poland, as well as Soria/Carro from Spain.

Maggie Kozuch/Laura Ludwig (GER)

This German pair comes in at number two in the rankings heading into EuroBeachVolley 2020, however a Gold medal at this year's edition for them would not be a surprise for any beach volleyball fan in the world. While Maggie Kozuch brings an extensive experience and success from indoor volleyball to the team, Laura Ludwig is undeniably one of the most successful beach volleyball players of all times. With four European Championship Gold Medals and several other Silver and Bronze, Olympic and World Championship Gold, as well as an extensive list of great results on the World Tour, Laura is already a legend of the game and will be looking to add to her already impressive tally by the end of EuroBeachVolley 2020.

Tina Graudina/Anastasija Kravcenoka (LAT)

In 2019, this Latvian duo had their breakout year, one that they will always remember as they became European Champions in Moscow and obtained qualification for Tokyo 2020 when they beat the Czech Republic’s Marketa Slukova and Barbora Hermannova in their final match at the FIVB Tokyo Beach Volleyball Qualification tournament in Haiyang, China. Despite some ups and downs on their way to glory, they have shown that they can keep a cool head especially at the toughest of moments. With this year's EuroBeachVolley taking place on home court in Jurmala, Latvia, Tina and Anastasija will definitely be the crowd's favourites and will be looking to retain their European crown.

We are only a day away from the start of yet another exciting edition of EuroBeachVolley, so make sure you follow us on our social media channels and subscribe to EuroVolley.TV for live matches and exclusive content throughout the competition.