American beach volleyball team Miles Partain and Andy Benesh have successfully advanced to the main draw of the 2025 Elite16 Beach Volleyball tournament in Montreal after a solid victory in the qualification round.
The duo, Olympic silver medalists from the previous edition held in the same city, started their campaign with a convincing 21-14, 21-16 win over Switzerland’s Yves Haussener and Julian Friedli. Their performance earned them placement in Pool D, where they are set to face tough opponents, including:
- Evandro Gonçalves and Arthur Lanci from Brazil
- World champions Ondřej Perušič and David Schweiner from the Czech Republic
- Canadian wildcards Sam Schachter and Jonathan Pickett
Despite experiencing a drought with just a single podium finish across 14 international events, Partain and Benesh appear determined to reclaim their elite form. Falling into the qualifiers due to recent ranking changes, their performance in Montreal signals a potential resurgence.
Three additional men’s teams also secured places in the main draw:
- Izac Carracher and Mark Nicolaidis from Australia, with a straight-sets win over Austria’s Christoph Dressler and Philipp Waller
- Germany’s Sven Winter and Lukas Pfretzschner, who dominated both Austrian and Canadian opponents
- Chilean brothers Marco and Esteban Grimalt, who edged out Brazil’s George Wanderley and Saymon Barbosa in three sets
In the women’s category, Australia delivered dual success:
- Taliqua Clancy and Jana Milutinovic breezed past Canadian and Dutch teams
- Elizabeth Alchin and Georgia Johnson narrowly defeated the Czech pair in a tough third-set battle
Other women’s qualifiers included:
- The Netherlands’ Mila Konink and Raisa Schoon
- Spain’s Daniela Álvarez and Tania Moreno, both winning two back-to-back matches
Main draw action gets underway on Thursday and continues through Friday. The tournament format has group winners going straight into Saturday’s quarterfinals, while second and third-placed teams will face off in the Round of 12. The championship will culminate on Sunday with the semifinals and medal matches.
The Montreal Elite16 is part of the prestigious 2025 Volleyball Pro Tour, drawing top talent from across the globe as they prepare for future Olympic and World Championship competitions.
For more details, visit the official event news page here.
