French player Joadel Gardoque and his partner Elouan Chouikh-Barbez claimed gold in the men`s competition at the Beach Pro Tour Futures event in Montpellier this Sunday, delighting the home crowd. This marked Gardoque`s first ever gold medal on the tour. The men`s podium was rounded out by Austria`s Robin Seidl & Alexander Huber (silver) and Spain`s Alvaro Viera & Antonio Saucedo (bronze). In the women`s tournament, 19-year-old Spaniard Sofia Izuzquiza and her partner Sofia Gonzalez secured their first gold together. The silver medal went to the French duo Elsa Descamps & Anouk Dupin, while American qualifiers Alexis Durish & Audrey Koenig took bronze.
France’s Joadel Gardoque in spectacular defense
For 22-year-old Joadel Gardoque, this Montpellier victory represents his first Beach Pro Tour medal. Partnering with 23-year-old Elouan Chouikh-Barbez, who had previously won a gold, they went undefeated through five matches. They defeated fifth-seeded Spaniards Viera & Saucedo 2-0 (21-14, 21-19) in the semifinal. In a thrilling gold medal match, Chouikh & Gardoque came from behind to beat the experienced Austrian Olympians Seidl & Huber 2-1 (16-21, 22-20, 15-12).
In the other men`s semifinal, Seidl & Huber secured their spot in the final by beating fellow Austrians Felix Friedl & Florian Schnetzer 2-0 (21-11, 21-18). This podium finish is their fourth since teaming up again this season (two silvers, two bronzes). Viera & Saucedo won the bronze medal match against Friedl & Schnetzer with a 2-0 score (21-16, 21-13), earning their second consecutive bronze medal after their recent third-place finish at the Malmo Futures.
The 2025 Montpellier Futures men’s podium
Sofia Izuzquiza, a silver medalist from the 2024 FIVB U19 World Championship, celebrated her first Beach Pro Tour medal with this gold. Partnering with Sofia Gonzalez, who won gold three years ago, this is their second joint podium finish following a bronze in Krakow last month. The third-seeded Spanish pair won four matches in straight sets before the final. In the final, they defeated top-seeded French favorites Descamps & Dupin 2-1 (21-17, 14-21, 15-9), dropping their only set of the tournament.
USA’s Audrey Koenig on the block against Spain’s Sofia Izuzquiza
Izuzquiza & Gonzalez advanced to the final by beating American qualifiers Alexis Durish & Audrey Koenig 2-0 (21-15, 23-21). Descamps & Dupin reached their first Beach Pro Tour final as a team by defeating Czechs Martina Maixnerova & Kylie Neuschaeferova 2-0 (21-14, 21-15). Anouk Dupin is having a remarkable season, achieving a podium finish in all five of her Tour appearances this year (two golds, two silvers, one bronze) with four different partners.
Alexis Durish & Audrey Koenig, both 21 years old, secured the bronze medal by beating Maixnerova & Neuschaeferova 2-0 (21-16, 21-14). This is their second medal in two Beach Pro Tour events, having won gold as qualifiers in Geneva last week. They continued their winning streak to 12 matches in Montpellier before losing to Izuzquiza & Gonzalez in the semifinals.
The 2025 Montpellier Futures women’s podium
The Montpellier Futures tournament saw 25 men`s and 26 women`s teams competing, representing 21 different countries. The next Futures event will be held in Leuven, Belgium, from July 18 to 21.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick