JAPAN
Top-seeded Ren Matsumoto & Non Matsumoto lived up to their status and claimed the women’s gold at the ninth and final stop on Japan Beach Volleyball Tour 2025, held in Matsuyama over the weekend. In Sunday’s final, Ren & Non produced a 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) shutout of third-seeded Chika Nakagawa & Mayu Kikuchi. The third place in the final standings was shared by the two semifinal losers, Harumi Sakai & Shion Tsubouchi and Ami Shirahata & Suzuna Fukuda.
The men’s trophy went to the mixed German-Japanese pairing of Martin Kaufer & Kensuke Shoji (pictured in the main photo; source: jva.or.jp). In the gold medal showdown, they mounted a hard-fought 2-1 (19-21, 26-24, 15-10) comeback victory over third-seeded Yusuke Ishijima (Gottsu) & Juntaro Tachiya. Top-seeded Kai Kurokawa & Ryuichi Adachi and second-seeded Takumi Takahashi & Jumpei Ikeda took a joint third place.
