Dimitar Kalchev and Dimitar Mehandzhiyski recorded a historic victory for Bulgarian beach volleyball after overcoming the Polish pair Michal Witkos and Mikolaj Kaczmarek 2:0 (21:19, 21:15) in their first match of the tournamentSveti Vlas Futures 2025, part of the global seriesBeach Pro Tour.
With their success on the central court next to Marina Dinevi, the Bulgarians, seeded No. 4 in the main draw, secured a place in the playoffs. With another victory this evening at 6:00 PM against the U21 world champions - the Belgians Joppe Van Langendonck and Kian Vercauteren - Kalchev and Mehandzhiyski will win their group and qualify directly for the quarterfinals.
"Thanks to everyone who supported us during the match - and there were many," said Dimitar Kalchev after the match. "This is our first time playing against these opponents, and our tactics developed on the fly. I'm glad we succeeded."
"This victory is very special - our first in the main draw of a tournament of this rank, and at home, in front of our home crowd," added Dimitar Mehandzhiyski. "We still have more to show and hope for an even stronger performance in the next match."
Tough start for other Bulgarian participants
The remaining seven Bulgarian pairs, both men and women, started the tournament with defeats and will play for third place in their groups on Saturday. This gives them a chance to advance to the Round of 16.
Among the best performers were Kaloyan Balabanov and Nikolay Kolev, who played a competitive match against the top seeds from Slovakia - Lubos Nemec and Adrian Petruf. After a strong second set and an exceptional block by Kolev, the Bulgarians forced their opponents to a tie-break but lost 1:2 (18:21, 21:17, 13:15).
In the women's competition, twins Vili and Raya Tsenova impressed with a convincing first set against the Germans Schulz and Schekel, but allowed a comeback - 1:2 (21:16, 11:21, 8:15).
About the tournament
Sveti Vlas Futures 2025 is held under the auspices of Volleyball World, the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV), and the Bulgarian Volleyball Federation (BVF). The organizers are Dinevi Group and Nu Boyana Film Studios.
