29/07/2018 23:00
Italian underdogs cause sensation in Samsun as Czechs claim men’s gold
2018 CEV Beach Volleyball Satellite - Samsun Open
Samsun, Turkey, July 29, 2018. On Sunday, Jindrich Weiss and Donovan Dzavoronok from the Czech Republic triumphed with the gold medals in the men’s competition at the 1-Star Samsun Open in Turkey after edging their compatriots Marcel Myslivecek and Martin Pihera in the ‘grand finale’ of the tournament. Italy’s sensation Carolina Ferraris and Francesca Michieletto went all the way from the qualification round to the top of the podium in the women’s tournament.
The men’s final was a real delight for the audience with two Czech teams displaying an extremely solid defence game, and Dzavoronok adding powerful attacks to their assets. As they were playing with much confidence and consistency, Weiss/Dzavoronok won the first set 21-11. The second set was a closer affair where Weiss/Dzavoronok emerged victorious 21-18 to seal their 2-0 victory and celebrate with the gold medal.
Looking exhausted but happy - Czech gold medal winners Jindrich Weiss and Donovan Dzavoronok
Dutch underdogs Stefan Boermans and Casper Haanappel completed the podium following their victory in the bronze medal match with Austria’s Thomas Kunert and Peter Eglseer. With temperatures up to 30 degrees, Boermans/Haanappel celebrated a 21-14, 22-20 victory to secure the bronze medals – a truly sensational result as they had started their campaign with Thursday’s qualification round. “We are extremely happy with the result; it is excellent for us. We loved the Turkish crowd, as they are so passionate and enthusiastic,” Boermans said.
Italy’s rookies Ferraris and Michieletto were the eventual winners of the 1-Star Samsun Open after they edged their opponents both in the semi-final and gold medal match they contested on Sunday. Austria’s Eva Freiberger/Valerie Teufl claimed silver as Camilla Nilsson/Sofia Ögren secured the bronze medal for Sweden.
Carolina Ferraris/Francesca Michieletto (ITA) celebrate their gold medal run at the Samsun Open in Turkey
The Italians completed their amazing campaign in Samsun with a 21-19, 19-21, 15-11 victory over top-seeded Freiberger/Teufl. “I am so happy that we won the gold medal. It feels amazing. We did not expect this result. Many thanks to all those who have been supporting us! It was an amazing experience to play in front of the Turkish fans,” said Michieletto.
The bronze medal match featured Nilsson/Ögren versus Nicole Dostalova/Anna Komarkova of the Czech Republic. The Czech side won the first set 21-15 but the Swedish team fought back and eventually won the second 21-12. The Scandinavians had the upper hand in the tiebreak as well (15-10) to secure the bronze medals.
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