11/08/2013 21:00
Swiss first-seeded guys complete their comeback by seizing gold in Vaduz
2013 CEV Beach Volleyball Satellite - Vaduz
Vaduz, Liechtenstein, August 11, 2013. The CEV Satellite tournament in Vaduz – that this year celebrated its ninth edition – drew to a close on Sunday under a clean sky as first-seeded Mirco Gerson and Alexei Prawdzic of Switzerland cruised to a well-deserved win in the final match where they played 2012 U20 European champions Lorenz Petutschnig and Tobias Winter of Austria (2:1; 15-21, 21-17, and 15-12).
Similarly to what had happened on Saturday with the last stage of the women’s tournament, about 1,000 fans got together to cheer on the strongest teams of the men’s competition thereby bringing the total – since Wednesday – to 9,500, a very remarkable figure especially since on Friday the general attendance was lower than expected as the rain had poured down almost all day long in Vaduz. “Every year this tournament is progressing when it comes to the quality of the general organization and the CEV Satellite in Vaduz has become a top event. The attendance was just great and the last couple of days were a real Beach Volleyball festival with world-class matches” CEV Technical Supervisor Anton Fichtinger says.
Though they had fought their way back through the losers’ bracket, Swiss guys Mirco Gerson and Alexei Prawdzic could finally live up to their status of first-seeded pair of the tournament as they completed their comeback by claiming a very close semifinal edging Germany’s Armin Dollinger and Jonas Schröder 2:1 (17-21, 21-14, and 15-12). In the other semifinal, Austria’s Tobias Winter and Lorenz Petutschnig – gold medalists from the past edition of the U20 European Champs and bronze medal winners at this year’s U23 World Championship – needed only two sets to cruise past Danish brothers Anders and Soeren Hoyer (21-18, 21-15).
Dollinger/Schröder eventually settled for bronze as they won a close classification match with the Hoyer brothers 2:1 (21-12, 19-21, and 15-13) thereby adding another medal to Germany’s count after their countrywomen Köhler/Schumacher and Mersmann/Schneider had won gold and silver on Saturday.
Mirco Gerson and Alexei Prawdzic, who teamed up only at the beginning of the current season, crowned their campaign in Vaduz with gold as they beat Petutschnig/Winter 2:1 (15-21, 21-17, and 15-12) after coming back from one set down. Gerson showed incredible athleticism in defense as Prawdzic – with his terrific blocks – turned into a wall that the Austrian guys could not find a way through. “I think that the final game does really reflect what we have done in this tournament, with ups and downs, alternating great actions with stupid mistakes. However, we also showed our mental strength for we have won four consecutive matches at the tie-break, with the last one being the game that counts the most” Prawdzic said. Though this is only their first season together, Mirco and Alexei were Switzerland’s best duo at the European Championship Final last week as they finished in ninth place there in Klagenfurt.
Sunday’s program in Vaduz included the traditional celebrity tournament that was won by Edwin Benne – former international player and the current head coach of the Dutch men’s national team – alongside former alpine skier Marco Büchel who beat Leo Kranz, the current President of the Liechtenstein Olympic Sports Association and a former world-class surfer, and his partner, swimmer Christoph Meier.
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