A young French beach volleyball duo made waves at the 2025 Valencia Futures event on the Beach Pro Tour, capturing gold in a stunning performance that began in the qualification rounds and ended atop the podium. The unexpected, yet well-deserved, triumph has become a defining moment for France's emerging talent in the sport.
Soaïfe Duval, 19, and Anouk Dupin, 22, went on a flawless seven-match winning streak to clinch the title. Their path to victory was supported by the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment initiative, which plays a crucial role in providing coaching and equipment resources to developing programs.
In a dramatic final, Duval and Dupin narrowly defeated Spanish home favorites Belen Carro and Paula Soria in three sets: 2-1 (21-17, 15-21, 20-18). The win marked a career milestone—Duval’s first and Dupin’s second beach volleyball tour medal. Their success highlights the impact of the CHF 1 million investment made into the French volleyball federation through the FIVB initiative.
The women’s bronze medal match saw Ukraine’s Yeva Serdiuk and Daria Romaniuk edge out another French pair—Elsa Descamps and Romane Sobezalz. It was Ukraine's third podium appearance, backed by CHF 708,000 of FIVB funding since 2022.
On the men’s side, the Spanish brothers Alejandro and Javier Huerta thrilled local fans with an unbeaten run, claiming gold against Italy’s Tiziano Andreatta and Davide Benzi with a dominant 2-0 (21-15, 21-9) scoreline.
Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Marco Krattiger and Leo Dillier rebounded from a semifinal loss to secure bronze versus Austrians Alexander Huber and Robin Seidl. Their efforts reflect continued progress from the CHF 288,000 invested into Swiss coaching development by the FIVB.
In total, the Valencia Futures hosted 56 teams—28 men’s and 28 women’s—from 25 different countries, showcasing the international growth and competitive reach of beach volleyball. Upcoming Beach Pro Tour Futures events will continue in Cervia, Italy (both men's and women's teams), and Madrid, Spain (men only).
To read the full article and learn more about the players and FIVB's development efforts, visit the official event recap on the FIVB’s website.
