Two Italian teams led by seasoned Olympians have successfully qualified for the main draw of the 2025 Beach Pro Tour Baden Challenge after dominating performances in the men’s qualification round held in Austria.
Italian Teams Make a Strong Statement
Alex Ranghieri, a two-time Olympian, and his partner Manuel Alfieri cruised through their matches in straight sets. They defeated Germany’s Johannes Kirsten and Nicola Kössler with a commanding 21-13, 21-12 score, followed by a strong 21-16, 21-14 performance against England’s Issa Batrane and Frederick Bialokoz.
Meanwhile, another Italian Olympian, Samuele Cottafava, teamed up with Gianluca Dal Corso to also earn a place in the main draw. After a smooth victory over Austrian duo Michael Mario Klemen and Philipp Sponer, they faced a tougher challenge against local favorites Laurenc Grössig and Mathias Seiser. The Italians prevailed in a tight three-set battle: 21-15, 16-21, 15-13.
Additional Teams Advancing
Along with the Italian duos, five other teams advanced to the main draw:
- Tadeas Trousil / Matyas Dzavoronok (Czechia)
- Markus Mol / Adrian Mol (Norway)
- Maximilian Just / Philipp Huster (Germany)
- Mads Møllgaard / Nicolai Hovmann (Denmark)
- Gustavo ‘Guto’ Carvalhaes / Vitor Felipe (Brazil)
What’s Next
The main draw action kicks off on Thursday at Thermalstrandbad Baden. A total of 32 teams will compete in pool play through Friday, followed by the knockout stages over the weekend. The finals, where medals and ranking points are on the line, will take place on Sunday.
This tournament is a prominent stop on the 2025 Beach Pro Tour and offers fans a glimpse of elite beach volleyball talent in Austria.
For more details, visit the official event page on Volleyball World.
