10/08/2017 20:05
Top seeds make it through qualification round at CEV-EEVZA Satellite Yantarny
2017 CEV Beach Volleyball Satellite - Yantarny
Yantarny, Russia, August 10, 2017. A double-gender CEV-EEVZA Satellite got underway on Thursday at the local beach sports complex in Yantarny – a seaside resort in Kaliningrad Region. The event started with the qualification round where the pre-favourites confirmed their status and eventually secured their spot in the Main Draw.
Only one match was on schedule in the women’s qualification with Anika Krebs/Lena Ottens from Germany recording a comfortable 21-14, 21-14 victory over Isabelle Påhlsson/Sara Malmström of Sweden.
As for the men’s qualification, the home fans had something to celebrate as three teams representing the home country made it through the first round but eventually they all lost their second matches of the day, thus failing to progress to the Main Draw. In one of the most interesting matches of the day, top-seeded Latvians Toms Smedins/Aleksandrs Solovejs snatched a hard-fought victory over Russia’s Anton Safonov/Vasili Andrianov after a dramatic third set – 2-1 (21-17, 19-21, 16-14). The remaining qualifiers are Germany’s Max-Jonas Karpa/Milan Sievers, Jindrich Weiss/Martin Tichy of the Czech Republic and Dutchmen Dirk Boehlé/Steven van de Velde.
On Friday, the CEV-EEVZA Satellite in Yantarny will continue with the first rounds of Main Draw matches, with 16 men’s and 16 women’s teams vying for the medals. One of the main favourites in the women’s tournament are Germans Karla Borger/Margareta Kozuch.
This is not the first time Borger is competing in Yantarny. Back in 2009, she represented Germany at the U23 European Championship held at that same venue. She won bronze together with Julia Sude, as her partner-to-be Britta Büthe stood on top of the podium together with Julia Grossner. This time around, Borger hopes to claim gold from the event, which is taking place at the Russian resort.
“I am happy to return to this lovely place. I have the best memories from 2009, since it was a great event here except for the result - we did not manage to win. Now I decided to come back here only because of this – I want to take gold,” Borger said.
On Friday morning, Borger and Kozuch will start their quest for gold playing Russian sisters Maria and Elena Sviridova.
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