Olympic Stars Headline Shangluo Challenge as Main Draw Gets Underway

Posted : 23 July 2026

The 2026 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Shangluo Challenge is underway in Shangluo, China, with some of the world's top beach volleyball players competing for honours at the city's first Challenge-level tournament.

The event, which runs from July 22 to July 26, follows Shangluo's successful hosting of the FIVB U19 Beach Volleyball World Championships in 2024. After qualification matches opened the tournament, attention has now shifted to the 32-team men's and women's main draws.

In the women's competition, newly formed American duo Molly Shaw and Molly Phillips entered the tournament as the top-seeded pair based on entry points. The partnership is making its Beach Pro Tour debut after both players competed with different teammates earlier this season.

Shaw brings valuable experience to the pairing after winning the João Pessoa Elite title last year and reaching the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship. Phillips, meanwhile, is seeking her first Beach Pro Tour medal after recording several quarterfinal appearances over the past two seasons.

Australia's Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Taliqua Clancy also headlines the women's field alongside new partner Stefanie Fejes. The experienced Australian is aiming to return to the podium for the first time since 2023.

Host nation China will look to home favourites Xia Xinyi and Yan Xu to challenge for the title. The pair already claimed victory at the Nayarit Challenge earlier this year and will hope local support can inspire another strong performance.

France's Lezana Placette and Alexia Richard are the only women's pair in the tournament that competed together at the Olympic Games. Other Olympians in the main draw include Spain's Tania Moreno and Czechia's Marie-Sara Stochlova, while several experienced players are attempting to advance from the qualification rounds.

The men's competition is led by Germany's Nils Ehlers, who won Olympic silver at the Paris 2024 Games. Ehlers returns to the Beach Pro Tour with Lui Wust as regular partner Clemens Wickler continues to recover from a shoulder injury.

Australia's Thomas Hodges and Ben Hood top the men's entry list, with fellow Australians D'Artagnan Potts and Jack Pearse also among the leading contenders after winning the Tlaxcala Challenge earlier this season.

Austria's four-time Olympian Alexander Horst remains one of the tournament's most experienced competitors. The 43-year-old former world championship silver medallist continues his career alongside Paul Pascariuc, while Olympic veterans Adrian Gavira, Alex Ranghieri and Julian Horl add further quality to the men's field.

The Shangluo Challenge continues through the weekend with pool play followed by the knockout rounds before the champions are crowned on Sunday.

Olympic Stars Headline Shangluo Challenge as Main Draw Gets Underway

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