LUANCO/STARNBERG, March 27, 2025

The XXXVIII Torneo BDO Tenis Playa Luanco has announced the first three players set to compete on the beach of La Ribera from August 4 to 7. Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles will return to Asturias after participating in the 2023 edition, where he reached the semifinals before falling to Edas Butvilas of Lithuania. Butvilas, who went on to win the title that year, will also return in 2025. Meanwhile, Miguel Avendaño will maintain his personal and family connection with the tournament by participating once again.

These three players are part of the eight competitors who will play across the four-day event, with more names to be revealed during the tournament’s official presentation on April 22 at the Higher Sports Council (CSD) headquarters in Madrid.

Primeros tenistas confirmados en 2025
@bernabezapata1
@EdasButvilas
Miguel Avendaño
➕ Seguimos n “España Compite: en la empresa como en el deporte” de @fundaciondepjov
➕ Presentación 22 de abril en @deportegob

+ info: https://t.co/B6msGJAkuA#TorneoBDOTenisPlaya pic.twitter.com/C4boRSHB9G

— Torneo BDO Tenis Playa de Luanco (@TenisLuanco) March 26, 2025

Zapata Miralles: A Challenger Circuit Star

The Valencian Bernabe Zapata Miralles turned professional in 2015 and reached a career-high ATP ranking of World No. 37 on May 22, 2023—the same year he competed at the BDO Tenis Playa Luanco Tournament. He currently sits among the top 350 players in the world. In his previous appearance in Luanco, he arrived after playing at the ATP 500 tournament in Hamburg, Germany and fought a close semifinal against Butvilas, losing 2-6, 6-4, 8-10 in the super tie-break.

Zapata has claimed four ATP Challenger titles:

Cordenons, Italy (2020), defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final
Heilbronn, Germany (2021)
Poznan, Poland (2021)
Meerbusch, Germany (2022)

In 2022, he reached the fourth round at Roland Garros, overcoming players like Taylor Fritz and John Isner before losing to Alexander Zverev. In 2023, he was a finalist at the Isasi Challenger in Romania, a semifinalist at the ATP 500 Rio Open and ATP 250 Buenos Aires, and reached the quarterfinals at the ATP 500 Estoril. Last year (2024), he was runner-up at the Barcelona Challenger, a quarterfinalist in Amersfoort, Netherlands, and reached the semifinals in Perugia, Italy, all on the ATP Challenger circuit.

Edas Butvilas & Miguel Avendaño: Rising Stars

Edas Butvilas, the 2023 BDO Tenis Playa Luanco champion, defeated Miguel Avendaño in the final (6-4, 6-1) after overcoming Zapata in the semifinals. In last year’s edition, Butvilas won against Iker Sevilla (6-3, 7-6) before falling in the semifinals to Argentina’s Pedro Cachin (6-7, 6-4, 6-10 in a super tie-break).

Butvilas has been making impressive strides on the ATP circuit, climbing 33 ranking spots in the first three months of 2025 to reach ATP No. 201 as of March 17. His achievements include:

2025 ATP Challenger Title in Hersonissos, Greece
2024 ATP Challenger Title in Charleston, USA
2024 ITF Title in Kursumlijska Banja, Serbia

Meanwhile, Miguel Avendaño is balancing his studies at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, USA, with his tennis career. He currently ranks World No. 1,735 on the ATP rankings, having reached No. 1,076 in October 2024. His tournament participation in 2024 included the ITF M25 events in Louisville (USA) and Oviedo (Spain), and the ITF M15 in Gijón. In doubles, he played ITF M25 events in Martos and Denia (Spain), reaching the semifinals in Denia, and also competed in Louisville, making the quarterfinals.