Here’s five must watch matches at today’s Hamburg Finals

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Can Chantal Laboureur and Julia Sude bounce back after their defeat on Wednesday

If day one was anything to go by, then day two promises to be an even more spellbinding one at the Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals presented by Vodafone.

On Tuesday, thousands of fans packed the Red Bull Beach Arena to watch home heroes Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst begin the start of their title defense with a win but there were plenty of more joy for the Germans with both men’s teams getting off to a winning start inside the Rothenbaum.

So with 12 more matches to witness, which five shouldn’t you miss? Well, here they are…

Who? Dalhausser/Lucena v Doppler/Horst

When? 2pm CET

Where? Side court 2

Why? In the battle for supremacy in Pool A, two teams with a wealth of experience go toe-to-toe. Americans Nick Lucena and Phil Dalhausser have won the last three meetings against the Austrians – including one at the World Tour Finals in Fort Lauderdale two years ago. However, Clemens Doppler and Alex Horst are high on confidence following their silver medal at the World Championships.

Who? Agatha/Duda v Fendrick/Ross

When? 5pm CET

Where? Red Bull Beach Arena

Why? Brazilians Agatha and Duda have enjoyed a great first season together and now they are eyeing one big, final prize. They take on Americans Lauren Fendrick and April Ross in what will be the first meeting between the two teams. The North Americans are, like Doppler/Horst, still riding the crest of a wave following their silver medal in Vienna two weeks ago and you can be sure they will run the Brazilians very, very close.

Who? Laboureur/Sude v Kolocova/Kvapilova

When? 6pm CET

Where? Red Bull Beach Arena

Why? After their defeat to Swiss pair Heidrich/Vergé-Dépré on Wednesday, Chantal Laboureur and Julia Sude will be aiming to bounce back in their quest to reach the quarterfinals without the need of another match. They take on Kristyna Kolovoca and Michala Kvapilova just days after the Czech pair beat the Germans in the semifinals of the European Championships in Latvia. What will the result be this time?

Who? Kantor/Losiak v Dollinger/Erdmann

When? 8pm CET

Where? Red Bull Beach Arena

Why? Wednesday night was a good night for the German guys and one of the two successful teams, Jonathan Erdmann and Armin Dollinger, are in action under the Red Bull Beach Arena floodlights again tonight. The wildcards face a very tricky test in the shape of super-consistent Polish Bartosz Losiak and Piotr Kantor. It’s the first meeting between the two teams and the big question is: can the Germans cause another upset?

Who? Böckermann/Schümann v Lupo/Nicolai

When? 9pm CET

Where? Red Bull Beach Arena

Why? The curtain comes down on day two with another big game for Germans Markus Böckermann and Lorenz Schümann. On Wednesday they recorded a superb win over Canadians Saxton/Schalk in what was their first competitive match on the sand together. Tonight they have an even tougher task: European Champions and Olympic silver medalists from Italy Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo. A win will book either team a direct place in the quarterfinals so this is one you really can’t afford to miss.

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