Twelve teams per gender set to participate in the Main Draw of the Beach Pro Tour Elite16 tournament in Paris have been confirmed, as well as the 16 teams lined up to play for one of the four remaining Main Draw berths via the day of qualifications. The Roland Garros stadium will host all the Main Draw action in Paris from September 29 to October 2, in what promises to be a spectacular event featuring the best teams in the world.
Paris, France
Spectacular line-up confirmed for Paris Elite16
The top teams in the world will be in action in the French capital
Published 11:30, 31 Aug 2022
In the men's tournament, Czech pair Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner top the entry list, ahead of Olympic and world champions Anders Mol and Christian Sorum of Norway. Perusic and Schweiner will play for a first gold medal on the Beach Pro Tour after silvers in Itapema, Ostrava and Gstaad earlier this season. Main Draw participants also include the teams currently ranked second and third in the world, respectively Michal Bryl/Bartosz Losiak of Poland and Alexander Brouwer/Robert Meeuwsen of the Netherlands, alongside other leading pairs like Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists Ahmed Tijan/Cherif Younousse of Qatar and experienced Spanish duo Adrian Gavira and Pablo Herrera. Julien Lyneel (the former France international) and Rémi Bassereau will represent the host country.
The qualifications for the tournament will also be extremely competitive with Agadir Challenge gold medallists Matthew Immers/Stefan Boermans of the Netherlands, Marco Krattiger/Florian Breer of Switzerland and Robin Seidl/Philipp Waller of Austria all in contention.
In the women's tournament, world champions Eduarda 'Duda' Santos Lisboa and Ana Patricia Ramos head the Main Draw entry list, ahead of the team currently ranked number 1 in the world, fellow Brazilians Barbara Seixas and Carol Solberg. This year's World Championship silver medallists Brandie Wilkerson and Sophie Bukovec of Canada, 2021 European champs Nina Brunner/Tanja Hüberli of Switzerland and Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallists Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar are some of the other teams to look out for.
There are also some exciting teams to follow in the qualifications with three-time Olympian Marta Menegatti and Valentina Gottardi of Italy, Sarah Sponcil and Terese Cannon of the United States, and Germans Sandra Ittlinger and Isabel Schneider among the 16 teams set to compete for the four remaining places in the Main Draw.
Paris will play host to the sixth Elite16 tournament in the inaugural season of the Beach Pro Tour, after stops in Rosarito (Mexico), Ostrava (Czech Republic), Jurmala (Latvia), Gstaad (Switzerland) and Hamburg (Germany).