17/08/2017 19:27
Home stars Graudina and Kravcenoka write fairy tale in Jurmala
2017 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship - Final
Jurmala, Latvia, August 17, 2017. On Tuesday, while attending a media meeting, home stars Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka had played it safe – stating that their minimum goal at the #EuroBeachVolley Final was to win at least one match and to play to the best of their abilities. On Thursday, they exceeded everyone’s expectations by completing a clean sweep of the matches in their pool to secure a top ten finish in Jurmala.
The 2016 U22 European champions first beat Poland’s Kinga Kolosinka/Jagoda Gruszczynska 21-19, 21-19 before completing their triumphal run with a swift performance in the matchup with Germany’s Nadja Glenzke/Julia Grossner (21-16, 24-22). The fans could not ask for anything better than this to draw the line at the end of the second competition day on Majori beach.
“The next step is to win the next match, but when it comes to our initial goal, it’s just so pleasant to see that our hard work is paying off,” Graudina said. “All the small things that our coach was not satisfied with are coming together during the game so that’s the best thing about these victories,” added the 2015 U18 European champion.
“Our confidence is growing with every game, but it comes from mastering the technical elements,” Kravcenoka commented. “Now we are used to playing on the centre court and I think Glenzke and Grossner lost some points, because they are not used to it as much as we are,” Graudina added.
“It feels so nice to be playing at home. I can just take my bike and ride home if I forgot something. We train here every single day,” Graudina said about competing in Jurmala. “This is the best place you can get with the best beach and the best courts, so we are really enjoying this tournament,” her partner added.
“As for the fans, we feel their support, we feel loved. We know that even if we lose, they will still be congratulating us for our fight and will come back to support us again,” Graudina concluded.
Elsewhere, Germany continued to impress in the women’s competition with three of their five teams finishing on top of their respective pools with three wins in as many matches – these being top-seeded Chantal Laboureur/Julia Sude, reigning Olympic, world and European champions Laura Ludwig/Kira Walkenhorst and Karla Borger/Margareta Kozuch. Switzerland’s Joana Heidrich/Anouk Vergé-Dépré achieved that same feat – as did Austria’s Katharina Schützenhöfer and Stefanie Schwaiger after taking revenge for their loss at the World Champs in Vienna at the hands of Tanja Hüberli and Nina Betschart (SUI). Other pool winners – with a 2-1 record – include Kristyna Kolocova/Michala Kvapilova of the Czech Republic and Russia’s Alexandra Moiseeva and Ekaterina Syrtseva.
The competition will resume on Friday with the start of the elimination phase.
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