Müller and Tillmann Kick Off Title Defense with Strong Performance

German beach volleyball stars Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann have made a compelling start to their CEV EuroBeachVolley title defense. On the inaugural day of the 2025 tournament in Düsseldorf, the duo secured a decisive victory in their opening match, thereby earning a well-deserved spot in the subsequent elimination rounds.

Müller and Tillmann effortlessly secured their first victory in Düsseldorf.

Competing in front of their enthusiastic home crowd, the reigning champions were among 16 teams at the Rochus Club who commenced their campaigns with a win, guaranteeing their advancement. An additional victory in the pool play stage will grant them direct entry into the Round of 16.

The pool play phase is set to conclude on Thursday, with eight pairs securing direct berths in the Round of 16, and another 16 advancing to the Round of 24, which will also be held on the same day. The Round of 16 and quarterfinals are scheduled for Friday, followed by the semifinals on Saturday, and the highly anticipated medal matches on Sunday.

CEV EuroBeachVolley 2025 – Women`s Tournament Highlights

Bolstered by the support of their home fans, Müller and Tillmann experienced a smooth opening match. They comfortably defeated Spanish sisters Maria and Marta Carro 2-0 (21-10, 21-13) in Pool H, marking one of the most one-sided matches of the first day in Düsseldorf.

In the same pool, Polish duo Malgorzata Ciezkowska and Urszula Lunio also secured a straight-sets victory (21-19, 21-19) against Lithuanians Daniele Kvedaraite and Jekaterina Kovalskaja. Müller/Tillmann and Ciezkowska/Lunio will now vie for first place in the pool on Thursday, while the Spanish and Lithuanian teams will battle for survival.

Another German pair, Linda Bock and Louisa Lippmann, delivered one of the opening day`s most notable victories in Pool E. They confidently overcame Lithuanian Olympians Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte in two sets (21-7, 21-16). Their next opponents will be French Olympians Clémence Vieira and Aline Chamereau, who began their tournament with a decisive 2-0 win (21-16, 21-18) over Czech twins Anna and Katerine Pavelková.

Hanna-Marie Schieder and Karla Borger, representing Germany, also caused an upset on Wednesday, achieving a three-set victory (19-21, 21-15, 15-9) against Italians Claudia Scampoli and Giada Bianchi in Pool F. Their upcoming challenge will be Spanish Olympians Daniela Álvarez and Tania Moreno, who had previously defeated Finland’s Sara Sinisalo and Taru Lahti in straight sets (21-18, 21-14).

The vibrant energy of the home crowd also propelled Sandra Ittlinger and Anna-Lena Grüne to victory in Düsseldorf. They triumphed over Dutch pair Mila Konink and Raisa Schoon in two sets (21-18, 21-18). The German duo is now poised for what promises to be an exciting Pool C final against Swiss sisters Anouk and Zoé Vergé-Dépré, who dominated young Polish talents Julia Radelczuk and Natalia Okla with a 2-0 victory (21-12, 27-25) in their debut match.

In Pool A, Italians Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth, who bested Lithuanians Ieva Dumbauskaite and Gerda Grudzinskaite in straight sets (21-17, 21-16), alongside Czechs Kylie Neuschaeferova and Marie-Sára Štochlová, who upset Ukrainians Valentyna Davidova and Anhelina Khmil with a 2-0 win (21-18, 22-20), were among the initial teams to secure their progression to the elimination rounds.

Orsi Toth makes a crucial dig in her debut EuroBeachVolley match.

Pool B commenced with the Austrian Klinger sisters Dorina and Ronja sweeping (21-16, 21-11) German wildcards Chenoa Christ and Anna-Chiara Reformat. Additionally, Ukrainians Yeva Serdiuk and Daria Romaniuk emerged victorious in a hard-fought three-set battle (19-21, 23-21, 17-15) against Dutch pair Emi van Driel and Wies Bekhuis.

An exciting Pool D final is highly anticipated after two-time EuroBeachVolley champions, Latvians Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova, began their campaign with a 2-1 victory (16-21, 21-12, 16-14) over Spanish duo Sofía Izuzquiza and Sofía González. Concurrently, Swiss pair Tanja Hüberli and Leona Kernen comfortably defeated Estonians Heleene Hollas and Liisa Remmelg in straight sets (21-9, 21-14) in their inaugural match.

Tina working diligently at the net during the match against the Spanish opponents.

French Olympians Lézana Placette and Alexia Richard, who defeated Dutch Noa Sonneville and Brecht Piersma in two sets (21-18, 21-13), and Ukrainians Maryna Hladun and Tetiana Lazarenko, who swept (23-21, 21-9) Germans Janne Uhl and Paula Schürholz, will contend for a direct spot in the Round of 16 from Pool G on Thursday.