Saulkrastu kokteilis Decisive Matches on Saturday – Live on TV4 and Sportacentrs.com

The Saulkrastu kokteilis tournament has kicked off today at Saulkrastu Jūras parks, serving as the second leg of the Latvian Championship “DEPO Open 2026”. Both women's and men's competitions include several world and European level stars.

In the women's draw, world champions Anastasija Samoilova and Tīna Graudiņa are the main attractions, but this time they will play with different partners. Graudiņa pairs up with Līva Ēbere, while Samoilova partners with Spaniard Daniela Álvarez, with whom she has successfully collaborated in commercial events. This may be their last appearance on Latvian sand this season, as they will focus on the world elite tour afterwards.

In the men's competition, the highlight is 2024 European champions Mārtiņš Pļaviņš and Kristians Fokerots. Pļaviņš, who has won the “Saulkrastu kokteilis” five times, noted that the event combines high-level sport with community bonding with fans. He jokingly mentioned that if they win, he will remember the statistic about his former partner Edgars Točs, who holds seven titles.

Točs is now playing with Gustavs Auziņš, seeded fourth. Ahead of them are current tournament and Latvian champions Ards Daniels Bedrītis and Artūrs Rinkevičs, as well as English brothers Javier and Joaquin Bello, who won the event in 2023 and later triumphed in Rio de Janeiro. For the first time, a Brazilian team is participating – Joaquim Ribeiro and Lucas Silva, with Silva having played with legend Alison Ceruti in youth competitions.

Qualification saw some surprises before the solstice: 15-year-olds Ginta Skribe and Karla Mamaja defeated the second-seeded Lithuanian pair. Other teams include competitors from Lithuania, Estonia, Switzerland, and American sisters Lauren and Amber Stivrins, whose father Alex Stivrins played in the NBA.

The tournament features 16 teams each in men's and women's draws, divided into four groups. The decisive matches start on Saturday, June 27, at 10:00, with women's final at 22:30 and men's final at 23:30. Live broadcasts from 13:00 will be available on TV4 and Sportacentrs.com.