A total of 230 of Europe's leading players (106 juniors + 120 professionals) are in Crete over the coming days to participate in the 2026 European Beach Tennis Championships.
The event is being held at Lyttos Beach Hotel resort, where a world class Beach Tennis arena has been specially constructed for the event.
Junior Championships Round-Up
The Junior competitions at the European Beach Tennis Championships have come to a close. In truly dramatic finish under the piercing Cretian sun, it was team Spain who stamped its mark on this tournament, winning four of the six gold medals on offer. In total, Spain will take home a whopping eight of the 18 total medals in the competition.
It was in the boys' 18&U doubles where Spaniards Iker Mateos Méndez & Jorge Méndez Martínez came back from the brink in an electrifying match. At 2-6 1-3 down, it seemed that Italians Alex Agirelli & Nicola de Siena would sail to victory. In typical dogged Spanish style, the boys fought back to take the second set and push the match into deciding tiebreaker.
It was a topsy-turvy tiebreak, with Spain saving two match points at 7-9 down before winning three successive points to go up 10-9. The heat and the nerves combined perhaps took their toll, as Mateos Mendez had medical issues to contend with. The match was hanging in the balance, and after a few minutes of rest and plenty of fluids, his stomach settled enough for Spain to win the one point they needed to seal the victory 11-9.
It was a double win for the Spanish in the 18 & Under category as top seeds Claudia Casas Pau & Eva Sanchez Santana took the girls’ title in more convincing fashion, defeating team Latvia in straight sets. Hoping for a three-peat, it was not to be for Spain, as Italy thwarted their hopes of a clean sweep in the 18 and under events. Alex Agirelli defended the mixed doubles title for Italy, teaming on this occasion with Camilla Naldi.
In the 14&U age groups, Spain again won two events, Liberto Amate Ballesteros & Nestor Santana Sanchez taking the boys’ doubles and Santana Sanchez teaming with Tiara Vallmitjana to claim the mixed doubles. France’s Chanelle Dupuy & Emma Rivat won the girls’ doubles, the first time a French team has taken the title.
Preview
The 19th edition of the professional event will follow from 23-27 September. Last year's champions will return to defend their titles, as co-world #1 Nicolas Gianotti & #14 Mathieu Guegano lead the men's draw ahead of 2025 silver medallists and French compatriots Paul Gotarda & Maxime Moretto. They'll face stiff competition from the other co-world #1 Mattia Spoto & Niccolo Gasparri (#10) and the other Italian team of Felipe Menguolo & Gabriele Gini, while Spain's world #9 Antonio Miguel Ramos Viera - the 2019 silver medallist - teams with #44 Alvaro Garcia Gonzalez.
The women's event sees last year's Italian champions back with different partners: Nicole Nobile (world #16) will team with Greta Giusti (#15), while Veronica Casadei (#7) pairs with Giulia Trippa (#14). Eight other Top 40 players are in the draw, including Spain's Daniela Rodriguez Perera (#19) & Marta Martinez Seron (#31), Portugal's Marta Magalhaes (#21) & Marta Tavares (#38), Maire Bray (#20) & Lola Barau (#32) of France, and Lithuania's world #25 Gabija Druteikaite.
The events are available to watch via live streaming. Stay tuned for more details, plus all the latest news and results below.
ℹ️ Draws and Results
Boys 14 & Under | Girls 14 & Under | Mixed 14 & Under
Boys 18 & Under | Boys 18 & Under Consolation
Girls 18 & Under | Girls 18 & Under Consolation | Mixed 18 & Under
Order of Play | Latest Results
📺 Live Streaming | Photos
Lyttos Beach Channel (YouTube) | Photo Gallery | Tennis Europe Instagram
🎾 Team Nominations
Professionals