13/09/2014 20:20
Germany’s Laboureur and Sude celebrate golden season with Baku Masters title
2014 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship - Baku Masters
Baku, Azerbaijan, September 13, 2014. On Saturday Germany’s Chantal Laboureur and Julia Sude added another title to their resume as they followed on their victory at the CEV Biel/Bienne Masters from last August with a second gold medal from this year’s CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship. They achieved this feat as they beat their compatriots Laura Ludwig/Anni Schumacher in the final match of the inaugural Baku Masters whose women’s competition drew to a close on Saturday at Heyat Rest Area in Azerbaijan’s capital. This way Germany claimed also the two spots at stake for the winners and runners-up of the tournament to join next year’s FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship due to take place in the Netherlands. The medallists were awarded by CEV President André Meyer and CEV Vice President Jan Hronek.
Saturday’s programme was opened by the last quarter-final match initially scheduled for Friday evening but postponed to Saturday morning due to darkness. It was a German derby where Laura Ludwig and Anni Schumacher edged their countrywomen Victoria Bieneck and Julia Grossner with a 21-15, 21-15 score line.
Two-time European champion Laura Ludwig and Anni Schumacher then stretched their winning streak also to the semis where they easily beat Evgenia Ukolova and Alexandra Moiseeva from Russia by 21-17, 21-9. Chantal Laboureur/Julia Sude also dominated the scene in the second semi in a similar fashion as they edged Poland’s Monika Brzostek and Kinga Kolosinska 21-16, 21-16.
The race for the title of the inaugural Baku Masters was then an all-German affair but first Ukolova and Moiseeva played Brzostek and Kolosinska for the bronze medals. Ukolova and Moiseeva in the end edged their opponents from Poland by 2:1 (14-21, 21-17, 15-13) to claim their first major medal together. Brzostek and Kolosinska, on the other hand, had to be content with fourth place, the same result they had achieved also at the Biel/Bienne Masters in Switzerland. “It was a tough game and we are very pleased with our victory,” the Russian ladies commented. “This is only our second tournament together, so this is a great result, and we believe that after achieving this feat, our partnership will continue.”
The final was the real climax of the tournament and by far the most entertaining match played this week in Baku. In the end Chantal Laboureur and Julia Sude had the upper hand but only after a very close fight with Ludwig/Schumacher (21-19, 18-21, 15-7). “It is almost impossible to describe the way we feel,” Chantal and Julia said. “It was a very difficult match since the other team was very strong but in the end we won.”
“Though we could not win gold, we are going back home with a medal and this is always a good feeling,” Laura Ludwig said. “The good thing is that the gold medal eventually went to another pair from Germany. We want to congratulate the winners, our friends Chantal and Julia, who deserved to win this title.”
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