28/08/2020 20:00
Young Swedes cause sensation of the day in Montpellier
2020 World Tour 1-Star - Montpellier
Montpellier, France, August 28, 2020. Two teams from France plus one from Sweden and the Netherlands will be contesting the semis and medal matches of the World Tour 1-Star event in Montpellier. The CEV YouTube channel will provide live streaming of the ‘grand finale’ starting at 5 pm CEST, which will be crowning the eventual winners of the third Beach Volleyball international event organised since the resumption of competitive sport.
Youngsters Jonatan Hellvig and David Åhman of Sweden were the major sensation of the day on Friday. They first claimed a 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) victory over compatriots Peter Lundgren and Jakob Wijk Tegenrot to secure their spot in the quarterfinals where the 2018 Youth Olympic champions stunned the heavy favourites of the tournament, Chilean cousins Esteban and Marco Grimalt. Hellvig and Åhman impressed by taking the first set but their opponents responded swiftly. The sky over Montpellier darkened as the match progressed and with a series of three straight points, the young Swedes triumphed 2-1 (21-17, 17-21, 15-9) to stay in contention for a medal.
Timothée Platre (FRA) in action during the quarterfinals as partner Arnaud Loiseau looks on
Their opponents in the semis will be home heroes Timothée Platre and Arnaud Loiseau, who progressed to the top four after edging another Swedish team in the quarterfinals, Martin Appelgren and Alexander Herrmann. It was a very close and tight game with the French players eventually celebrating a 2-1 (21-16, 17-21, 15-13) victory. Appelgren and Herrmann probably felt some fatigue from the match they had played earlier in the day. The ‘lucky losers’ from the qualification round had indeed saved five match points and spent 61 minutes on the court before edging Germany’s Armin Dollinger and Simon Kulzer 2-1 (18-21, 21-17, 20-18).
Dutchmen Matthew Immers and Leon Luini celebrate their qualification to the semis in Montpellier
Dutch qualifiers Leon Luini/Matthew Immers continue their triumphal march in Montpellier. Italian Beach Volleyball star Alex Ranghieri suffered an injury during the first set of the quarterfinals. Despite showing much determination and courage, he eventually had to withdraw during the second set. Earlier on Friday, Ranghieri and partner Daniele Sablone had edged Joao Pedrosa and Hugo Campos of Portugal in the Round of 12 (21-13, 18-21, 15-10). Luini and Immers will be trying to emulate their compatriots Dirk Boehlé and Stefan Boermans who claimed gold for the Netherlands last year in Montpellier.
Quincy Ayé (FRA) spikes through the Israeli block on the way to reaching the Montpellier semi-finals
Rainy conditions somehow affected the last match of the day. Last year’s silver medal winners Quincy Ayé and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat of France played against the Israelis Sean Faiga/Netanel Amiram Ohana, who had previously beaten Germany’s Max Betzien and Dirk Westphal in two sets. Eric Tanguy and Christian Albe, President and Treasurer of the French Volleyball Federation respectively, followed the match from the sidelines. Despite the challenging weather, the match was highly entertaining, with many long rallies, especially in the second set. Finally, after saving a match point, the Israelis had to accept their loss, with Ayé and Gauthier-Rat celebrating a 21-9, 21-19 victory.
The competition in Montpellier resumes on Saturday at noon with the semis followed by the bronze and gold medal matches at 4 and 5 pm, respectively.
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