It’s the grand opening for the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships Hamburg 2019 presented by comdirect and ALDI Nord on Saturday and the Red Bull Beach Arena will be rocking for the first of ten days of action and several of the best teams in the planet will already make their appearances in the biggest event of the sport in 2019 on its very first day.
Okay, each of the 28 matches scheduled for the opening day of the tournament has its unique appeal, but to make your lives easier when deciding what to watch, we compiled a pretty interesting list of the five absolutely can’t-miss matchups. It’s time! Enjoy!
Who? Laboureur/Ittlinger v Michelle/Pati
Where? Red Bull Beach Arena
When? 1pm CET
Why? For starters, this will be the very first match played at the Red Bull Beach Arena at the Rothenbaum, aka the “beach volleyball sanctuary for the next ten days.” Ittllinger and Laboureur will also be the first German team to take the courts in Hamburg and they will 100% look to make a strong impression on their debut and get the home crowd on their sides since the very first minute. The Paraguayans have a tough task ahead of them, but if they can surprise the home team, anything will possible for them on Pool A. Regardless of the final result, the atmosphere will certainly be outstanding for this one.
Who? Alison/Álvaro Filho v Slick/Allen
Where? Sidecourt 2
When? 2pm CET
Why? Well, this will be the first of potentially several meetings between Brazilians and Americans in Hamburg over the next few days. Alison is the reigning Olympic champion and has won a world title in 2015 while his partner Álvaro took home the silver medal and the most outstanding player award at the 2013 edition of the tournament. The Americans are making a somewhat late debut at the World Champs, but they’ve showed they are dangerous when playing together and they arrive at the Rothenbaum in good spirits after a third-place finish at the American AVP this past weekend.
Who? Walsh Jennings/Sweat v Stubbe/van Iersel
Where? Red Bull Beach Arena
When? 3pm CET
Why? This match will mark the return of Walsh Jennings, a three-time world champion, to the event after she sat out in Vienna two years ago due to an injury. The three-time Olympic champion has been on a good run with Sweat and this match should be able to precisely measure their progress since the start of their partnership as Stubbe and van Iersel were the first team they ever faced together, last October, in Las Vegas. The Dutch have a great mix of experience in van Iersel and her five World Championships appearances and youngness with the debuting Stubbe. This game could have a massive impact on the outcome of Pool G.
Who? Ludwig/Kozuch v Larsen/Stockman
Where? Red Bull Beach Arena
When? 6pm CET
Why? Well, it’s Laura Ludwig back at the Red Bull Beach Arena, all right? The reigning world and Olympic champion will make her return to Hamburg, where she won the 2017 World Tour Finals ad last played with recently-retired former partner Kira Walkenhorst willing to push her new team with Kozuch to the highest level in front of her fanatic home fans. Larsen and Stockman are supposed to be very tough opponents for the Germans, though, as the American duo is arguably going through its best form right now, having won a silver medal in Warsaw two weeks ago and gold at home in an AVP event this past weekend.
Who? Mol/Sørum v Gonzalez/Reyes
Where? Red Bull Beach Arena
When? 7.15pm CET
Why? Everybody wants to see the Vikings as they make their return to the place where they won last year’s World Tour Finals. It will be their first-ever World Championships match and, despite of all they did in the last 12 months, nerves could still play a factor here. Gonzalez had the interesting habit of shocking the world in the most important tournaments with his former partner Nivaldo Diaz, so his new teammate Luis Reyes will need to get up to speed really quickly as their opening match in Hamburg will provide them with the best opportunity to keep up with this tradition.
