Challenge - Veracruz, Mexico - 2025

Immaculate George & Saymon triumph in Veracruz

Evans & Budinger earn silver, Haussener & Friedli take bronze

Published 09:59, 05 Oct 2025

George Wanderley & Saymon Barbosa

George Wanderley & Saymon Barbosa topped the men’s podium at the Veracruz Challenge on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour. The third-seeded Brazilians did so in an emphatic manner, without dropping a single set in the six matches they played in Mexico. It was their first Beach Pro Tour gold together and second podium, after the Alanya Challenge bronze in June.

The 2025 Veracruz Challenge men's podium (source: Instituto Veracruzano Del Deporte)

Top-seeded Americans Miles Evans & Chase Budinger settled for silver, their fourth Beach Pro Tour medal, and first since 2023. They also reached the final undefeated, losing only a set along the way.

19^th-seeded Yves Haussener & Julian Friedli of Switzerland claimed the bronze. It was already their fifth medal together on the Tour. They lost only two of their seven games in Veracruz, both to George & Saymon.

Evans/Budinger vs. George/Saymon - Match Highlights, 10/05/2025

George & Saymon stormed Sunday’s final match, opening an early lead and dominating on the court throughout the set. Saymon’s powerful spike brought in set point for Brazil, which was immediately converted by Saymon himself with a two-handed kill of the overpass to get his team a set ahead. With three points in a row, the Brazilians jumped into a 5-2 lead to establish control of the second set. The Americans tried fighting back, but could not quite catch up. Instead, George closed the match with a heavy-duty hit for 2-0 (21-16, 21-17). George contributed three aces and 14 points in attack to lead the way with a total of 17 points, while Saymon put up three kill blocks towards a 15-point tally. Budinger led the US pair with 16 points. Evans finished with 10.

The first set of an all-European bronze medal match was really tight. 22^nd-seeded Italians Samuele Cottafava & Gianluca Dal Corso were the first to reach a double set point, but Haussener & Friedli not only denied that to push the set into overtime, but turned things around to take the lead in the match. The Swiss took control of the second set and broke away by a wide gap. The Italians tried fighting back, but could only get back to within two before Haussener & Friedli celebrated a 2-0 (23-21, 21-17) victory. 19-year-old Friedli owned the net with four kill blocks and 21 spike kills. He added two aces towards a match-high 27 points. Haussener signed off with five points. Dal Corso led the southern European team with 13 points, including two stuffs. Cottafava added 11, including one ace.

In the first semifinal earlier on Sunday, George & Saymon mastered a 2-0 (21-15, 21-14) shutout of Haussener & Friedli. Saymon impressed with six kill blocks and an ace towards a match-high 15 points, George added another 10, all in spikes. Friedli also finished with 15 points, including four aces and three stuffs, while Haussener finished with nine points.

The second semifinal offered a three-set battle, with Budinger & Evans coming back from a set down to produce a 2-1 (14-21, 21-14, 15-11) victory. Budinger raised three kill blocks and delivered an ace to lead the team with a total of 22 points. Evans fired three aces towards a total contribution of 20 points. Dal Corso was the best scorer of the match with 29 points, including five kill blocks and three aces. Cottafava added 13 points, including two aces.