The 2025 CEV EuroBeachVolley women`s tournament, held in Düsseldorf, saw its field of contenders for gold narrowed down to just four teams on Friday, following intense Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches.
At the Rochus Club, after a day of 12 thrilling matches, the formidable duos of Maryna Hladun and Tetiana Lazarenko (Ukraine), Daniela Álvarez and Tania Moreno (Spain), Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann (Germany), and Clémence Vieira and Aline Chamereau (France) emerged as the semifinalists. These four teams will compete on Saturday, with the highly anticipated medal matches concluding the tournament on Sunday.
The first semifinal will feature the Ukrainian and Spanish teams, starting at 15:00 local time, followed by a clash between the German and French pairs at 16:15.
Road to the Semifinals: Key Victories
Maryna Hladun and Tetiana Lazarenko made history by becoming the first Ukrainian women`s team to reach the EuroBeachVolley semifinals. Their journey on Friday at the Rochus Club included a hard-fought comeback victory over Germany`s Linda Bock and Louisa Lippmann (2-1: 16-21, 21-19, 15-10) in the Round of 16, followed by a decisive straight-sets win (21-18, 22-20) against Dutch duo Mila Konink and Raisa Schoon in the quarterfinals.
Daniela Álvarez and Tania Moreno, appearing in their third EuroBeachVolley semifinal in four attempts, endured a demanding Friday. The Spanish pair advanced in Düsseldorf after securing two consecutive three-set victories. They first overcame Poland`s Malgorzata Ciezkowska and Urszula Lunio in the Round of 16 (2-1: 21-16, 15-21, 15-8), then narrowly defeated Swiss Olympians Anouk and Zoé Vergé-Dépré in a thrilling quarterfinal tie-breaker (12-21, 22-20, 17-15).
Defending Champions and French Olympians Progress
Defending champions Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann maintained their perfect record at home, keeping their title defense aspirations alive. They secured a relatively straightforward two-set win (21-15, 21-14) against fellow Germans Hanna-Marie Schieder and Karla Borger in the Round of 16. However, their quarterfinal match against Italy`s Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth proved more challenging, going to a decisive tie-breaker before the Germans clinched a hard-fought 2-1 victory (21-15, 16-21, 15-9).
The fourth team to secure a semifinal spot on Friday was Clémence Vieira and Aline Chamereau, who enjoyed an unblemished run to the Final Four with two commanding straight-sets victories. The Paris Olympians first dispatched Lithuanians Daniele Kvedaraite and Jekaterina Kovalskaja (21-18, 21-17) in the Round of 16, then replicated their dominant performance against Latvian Olympians Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova in the quarterfinals, winning 2-0 (23-21, 21-14).
The German and French teams have a history of three encounters, including a match at last year`s Paris Olympics, with Müller and Tillmann emerging victorious in all of them, notably without dropping a single set.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood