Festive day for the home crowd on sold-out second day of Utrecht

After a spectacular opening on Thursday, it was another true party today in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The BetCity Arena on Jaarbeursplein was packed once again for two sessions full of beach volleyball action. Spectators enjoyed thrilling rallies, perfect weather and a buzzing atmosphere. Dutch teams like Piersma/Sonneville, Van Driel/Bekhuis and Brouwer/Van de Velde delivered strong performances, turning the event into a real Utrecht celebration. The incredible comeback by local team Gras/Bak was the cherry on top to close out the night.

Bak/Gras survive playoffs in front of home crowd
Today’s final pool play set the stage for the semi-finals in the women’s competition. The Dutch teams were in great form and all managed to secure their spot in tomorrow’s semi-finals. Van Driel/Bekhuis kicked things off with confidence, winning their very first round in dominant fashion. Piersma/Sonneville followed with a direct qualification as well. For Utrecht’s own Bak/Gras, things got tense when they missed direct qualification and had to fight for the final semi-final ticket in the playoffs. In a dramatic match that went down to the last seconds, they pulled off a stunning comeback, cheered on loudly by the local crowd. Also advancing to tomorrow’s semis: Reffel/Åhman, Helland-Hansen/Wachowicz, Andressa/Taina and Simo/Van Winkle.

Packed stands witness beach volleyball at its best
The men brought the heat today in a packed skybox stadium. With booming serves, royal blocks and spectacular attacks, the crowd was treated to a true show. Three-time King Huerta was clearly hunting for a fourth crown with his partner Bello and wasted no time, securing direct qualification to the semi-finals in their first round. Andersson/Hölting Nilsson and Guto/Vitor Felipe also claimed their semi-final spots during the afternoon session. In the evening, another stacked line-up took the court, featuring Dutch teams Brouwer/Van de Velde and Van Werkhoven/Van Hal. A dominant performance by Brouwer/Van de Velde secured their place in the semis. For fellow Dutchmen Van Werkhoven/Van Hal, direct qualification was just out of reach. They’ll get one last shot in tomorrow’s playoffs. Nicolaidis/Carracher and George/Saymon claimed the final two semi-final tickets of the day.

The last tickets for tomorrow are now on sale! Can’t make it to Utrecht? No worries. Thanks to our partner Celsius, every match is streaming live and free at watch.kingofthecourt.com.