French Olympic beach volleyball teams delivered strong performances at the Beach Pro Tour Alanya Challenge, successfully advancing to the main draw after Wednesday’s qualification rounds in Türkiye. The event, part of the 2025 season, attracted top-tier talent from around the globe.
Women’s Teams Impress in Qualifiers
France’s two Olympic women’s pairs secured their spots with impressive victories:
- Lézana Placette and Alexia Richard, who placed 17th at the 2024 Paris Olympics, won a tightly contested three-set match against Americans Carly Kan and Devanne Sours.
- Aline Chamereau and Clémence Vieira, who ranked 19th in Paris, defeated Germany’s Karla Borger and Hanna-Marie Schieder in straight sets.
In total, eight women's teams emerged from qualifiers to enter the main draw, which kicks off Thursday at the Beach Sports Center in Alanya with 24 teams per gender.
French Men Dominate in Qualifiers
France also celebrated success on the men’s side:
- Arnaud Gauthier-Rat and Téo Rotar earned their place with a straight-set victory over Americans Tim Brewster and Ryan Ierna.
- Teammates Elouan Chouikh-Barbez and Joadel Gardoque eliminated Italian Olympian Alex Ranghieri and his partner to secure a main draw spot.
Other notable male and female teams making it to the main draw include:
- Americans Miles Evans and Chase Budinger
- Brazilians George Wanderley and Saymon Barbosa
- Germany's Louisa Lippmann and Linda Bock (women’s draw)
Competition Schedule
The Alanya Challenge schedule includes:
- Thursday: Pool play begins.
- Friday and Saturday: Elimination rounds.
- Sunday: Finals conclude the event.
As a prominent stop in the 2025 Beach Pro Tour, the Alanya Challenge provides elite athletes a critical platform to build momentum ahead of bigger international contests.
Read more about the event on Volleyball World’s official announcement.
