Published: October 5, 2025
The Semifinal Lineup
On Sunday, the Veracruz Challenge, part of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, will host its men`s semifinals, featuring intriguing matchups. Top-seeded Americans Miles Evans and Chase Budinger will face Italy’s Samuele Cottafava and Gianluca Dal Corso. In the other semifinal, third-seeded Brazilians George Wanderley and Saymon Barbosa will compete against Switzerland’s Yves Haussener and Julian Friedli. These European duos are set to challenge the higher-seeded teams for spots in Sunday`s final.
Road to the Semifinals
Saturday`s intense men`s schedule in Mexico included both the eighthfinal and quarterfinal rounds. Miles Evans and Chase Budinger, the American top seeds, demonstrated their resilience by securing a tough 2-1 victory (21-19, 18-21, 15-13) against England`s 13th-seeded duo, Joaquin and Javier Bello. Both Americans were pivotal, with Budinger tallying five crucial kill blocks among his 24 points, a score matched by Evans and Javier Bello. Following this, Evans and Budinger swept their quarterfinal match against Austria`s 10th-seeded Christoph Dressler and Philipp Waller with a decisive 2-0 (21-17, 21-13) win. Budinger again stood out with 12 points, including four blocks, complemented by Evans`s 10 points. Dressler was the top scorer for his team with 13 points.
Third-seeded Brazilians George Wanderley and Saymon Barbosa began their day with a 2-0 (23-21, 21-16) win against Norwegian qualifiers Nils Gunnar Ringoen and Even Stray Aas. Saymon was a dominant force, registering nine kill blocks and a total of 24 points, while George contributed eight points with three aces. They continued their strong performance by defeating ninth-seeded Americans Chaim Schalk and James Shaw 2-0 (21-18, 21-19) in a closely contested match, with Saymon again leading with 22 points and George adding 13. Meanwhile, the 19th-seeded Swiss duo, Yves Haussener and Julian Friedli, swept their eighthfinal match, overcoming 18th-seeded Americans Robert Wyatt Harrison and Cody Caldwell 2-0 (21-15, 21-16). Friedli`s impressive 21-point haul included five blocks and an ace, while Haussener added 11 points with two aces. The Swiss pair then advanced to the semifinals by winning the only three-setter of the quarterfinals, defeating the 25th-seeded Dutchmen Ruben Penninga and Matthew Immers 2-1 (21-17, 18-21, 15-11). Friedli was outstanding in this match, scoring 24 points with four aces, three blocks, and 17 attack kills, supported by Haussener`s 15 points, including three aces.
Italy`s Samuele Cottafava and Gianluca Dal Corso, seeded 22nd, emerged as the lowest-ranked team to reach the semifinals. They began their day with a significant upset in the eighthfinal, recovering from a set down to defeat fifth-seeded Ukrainians Sergiy Popov and Eduard Reznik 2-1 (17-21, 21-17, 15-11). Dal Corso was instrumental in this win, contributing 32 points, including five blocks, while Cottafava added 13 points. The Italian pair then continued their impressive run by sweeping 14th-seeded Swiss duo Adrian Heidrich and Jonathan Jordan 2-0 (21-12, 21-19) in the quarterfinals. Cottafava delivered five aces, accumulating 16 points, and Dal Corso was once again the match`s top scorer with 17 points, featuring two aces and two blocks.
Upcoming Matches
Sunday`s semifinals will commence at 10:00 local time (16:00 UTC) with the clash between George and Saymon, and Haussener and Friedli. The second semifinal, featuring Evans and Budinger against Cottafava and Dal Corso, will follow an hour later. The bronze medal match is scheduled for 14:00 local time (20:00 UTC), leading up to the Veracruz Challenge gold medal final at 15:00 local time (21:00 UTC).
Oliver Wrenwick