Israel Competes in European Beach Tennis Championship in Greece

The 19th European Beach Tennis Championship is set to commence tomorrow, Wednesday, on the island of Crete, Greece. The continental competition will feature 18 nations and run until Sunday. Israel will be represented by two pairs of players.

Veteran player Assaf Yaakov, 37, will partner with newcomer Natanel Kantrovich, 20, for his first European championship. Yaakov returns to the tournament after a nine-year absence, during which he reached a consolation final in an international competition and two other finals in Israel. The second Israeli pair consists of the experienced 36-year-old Yam Adib, standing at 1.92 meters, and his 34-year-old partner Sagiv Tal. Together, Adib and Tal have won three international tournaments.

Beach tennis is a doubles sport played on sand with specialized rackets and low-compression tennis balls. The objective is to send the ball over the net without it touching the ground. Scoring is similar to tennis, with a key difference: at 40-40, the next point wins the game. The sport originated in Italy in the 1970s and has seen significant growth in Israel over the last 15 years, particularly in Netanya and Tel Aviv. The sport and the European Championship are organized under the International Tennis Federation.

Assaf Yaakov expressed the team's excitement, stating, "We are very excited to once again wear the Israeli national team uniform at the European Championship. We have a veteran and experienced squad, and we will do everything to represent the country with honor and go as far as possible." The tournament will be broadcast live on the Lyttos Beach channel on YouTube, and updates can be followed on the Beach Tennis Israel Instagram page.