All adult groups – men’s, women’s, and mixed teams – competed with full participant tables – 32 pairs each. The number of youth age group athletes is also increasing.
Read more BNS Sprint: presidential criticism of the Minister of Education, the oath of the new King of Norway
This year, Valerija Keda and Rokas Čebrukas shone brightest at the Lithuanian championship, each winning two gold medals.
In the women’s competition, the national champion titles were defended by V. Keda and Ieva Gelažanskaitė. In a tough and intriguing final, they defeated Urtė Dainiūtė and Dominyka Lebiodaitė 5:7, 7:6 (7:4), 6:3.
An interesting confrontation took place in the semifinals, where Morta Matelytė and Aistė Griciūtė played against A. Griciūtė’s protégé U. Dainiūtė and her partner D. Lebiodaitė. This time, U. Dainiūtė and her partner outperformed their coach’s team 6:4, 4:6, 6:4.
M. Matelytė and A. Griciūtė earned bronze medals, defeating Auksė Buteikytė and Ella Lumpickaitė 6:3, 6:2 in the match for 3rd place.
Gediminas Šlivinskas, a member of the Lithuanian Beach Tennis Federation Board, notes that young talents fought excellently in this year’s tournament with adults.
“This year, the level of juniors and younger juniors was higher than ever. U16 age group athletes A. Buteikytė and E. Lumpickaitė played in the semifinals, and U18 champions U. Dainiūtė and D. Lebiodaitė competed in the final. This shows that we have great potential,” G. Šlivinskas said happily.
In the men’s final, Artiomas Ivancovas and Robertas Sokolovas faced Rokas Čebrukas and Augustas Normantas. In the decisive battle for gold, the young R. Čebrukas and A. Normantas triumphed 6:2, 6:4.
20-year-old R. Čebrukas and 18-year-old A. Normantas, who celebrated his birthday on the eve of the final, proved they deserve to represent Lithuania at the European Beach Tennis Championship in September.
Multiple national champions and defending titleholders Eligijus and Skirmantas Mačinskai, considered favorites of the tournament, ended their performance in the quarterfinals, where after a tense battle they lost 4:6, 6:3, 5:7 to A. Ivancov and R. Sokolov.
Read more Injection marks noticed on Putin’s fur coat
In the bronze medal match, Ugnius Bičkauskis and Emilis Jukna defeated Paulius Putrimas and Gediminas Šlivinskas 6:3, 6:3.
A total of 41 teams registered for the mixed doubles competition held on the last day of the championship. Such interest in the national championships has never been seen before. However, according to the regulations, only 32 duets could play.
After a year’s break, V. Keda and R. Čebrukas reclaimed the Lithuanian mixed doubles champion title. In the final, which became the highlight of the championship, this duo defeated last year’s national champions D. Lebiodaitė and A. Normantas 1:6, 6:1, 12:10.
“I am very happy to have defended the title in the women’s category and reclaimed the mixed doubles title. I did not expect such results – both finals started strongly for the opponents, but the home court and the support of the spectators helped us get going in time and take the initiative,” said V. Keda. “I cannot imagine these achievements without my partners – their trust and support helped withstand the pressure in both finals. It’s nice to see that the level of play is growing every year, and for that, many thanks to our coaches, and we continue training and preparing for other tournaments.”
In the mixed doubles tournament, spectators could also see the best Lithuanian beach tennis player Gabija Drūteikaitė. She currently ranks 25th in the world rankings.
Playing in a pair with Anzelmas Šimkus, G. Drūteikaitė won a bronze medal. This duo lost in the semifinals 6:7 (3:7), 4:6 to R. Čebrukas and V. Keda, but in the match for 3rd place, they proved superiority over Morta Matelytė and Mantas Rašinskas 5:7, 6:1, 10:6.
Lithuanian U18 boys’ champions were Kajus Pakula and Benas Petrauskas, girls’ champions were U. Dainiūtė and D. Lebiodaitė, U14 boys’ tournament winners were Natas Skajus Peciukevičius and Atas Pupeikis, and in the U12 girls’ group, gold was won by Adrija Dargevičiūtė and Ugnė Gaidytė.
The tournament organizers thank the sponsors “1 Asset Management,” “P9 Klinika,” “San Benedetto,” “EPbar,” CPW, “Spread Way,” “Skin Therapy,” “SmartHit IV,” “Biocell,” “Swanson,” “Red Bull,” “VolleyART House,” “Baltas tiltas Foodhall,” “HealthState,” “Agmeka,” without whom this championship would not have taken place.
The 2026 European Beach Tennis Championship will be held in Greece from September 23-27.
Read more Official: Barcelona strengthens attack with forward from London Arsenal
