Americans back in the semifinals
For American Olympians Budinger and Evans, progressing through the elimination rounds in Baden on Saturday led them to returning to the semifinals on the Beach Pro Tour for the first time after over a year – they were fourth in the Xiamen Challenge, in April 2024. Partners since 2023, the Americans have won one gold, one silver and one bronze together.
Budinger and Evans started their third day of matches in Austria with a hard-fought, three-set (20-22, 21-19, 15-13) victory over Italians Alex Ranghieri and Manuel Alfieri in the Round of 16. A few hours later, they topped the home team of Tim Berger and Timo Hammarberg in straight sets (21-17, 21-19) in the quarterfinals.