08/08/2015 09:24
Men’s Main Draw pools bring more Swiss success at Biel/Bienne Masters
2015 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship - Biel/Bienne Masters
Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, August 7, 2015. Swiss surprise-package Nico Beeler/Alexei Strasser keep causing a stir at the 2015 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship Biel/Bienne Masters, stunning 2014 gold medallists and tournament favourites Pablo Herrera/Adrian Gavira of Spain as the men’s Main Draw pool phase dramatically concluded on the sweltering shores of Lake Biel on Friday.
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As the centre court became a cauldron of noise in the warm weather, the matches became as much a battle of endurance as a battle of skill in the intense heat, with three Swiss sides fighting their way into the eliminatory phases on a day which also threw up several surprises.
The biggest shock of the day indeed came when Swiss underdogs Beeler/Strasser clinched a sensational 2:0 victory (21-19, 21-15) over tournament favourites and 2014 gold medallists Herrera/Gavira before romping to victory over Poland’s Maciej Kosiak/Maciej Rudol (21-16, 21-13) to top Pool A. Cruising into the last eight with a 100% record and no sets conceded, Beeler and Strasser must be considered a potential dark horse for the title. Herrera/Gavira and Kosiak/Rudol must face the first eliminatory round before re-joining the Swiss.
Mats Kovatsch/Jonas Kissling were another Swiss side to progress, scraping a third placed finish in Pool C after securing their only group win in their final match. Over at the side court there was major shock on the cards as Latvian pairing Haralds Regza/Martins Plavins – the gold medallists from the Baku 2015 European Games – toppled highly rated Luis Alfredo Marco/Christian Garcia of Spain in two sets (21-15, 25-23) to snatch top spot in Pool C, forcing the Spaniards into Round 1 alongside the Swiss.
Philip Gabathuler/Mirco Gerson were the last team to keep the home flag flying in Pool D. They reached the single elimination round with two victories, narrowly missing out on the quarterfinals after losing their final group match to a strong German side in Alexander Walkenhorst/Clemens Wickler (9-21, 17-21).
Sébastien Chevallier/Marco Krattiger however were to end the day disappointed in Pool B. Despite a hard-fought win in their final match, they narrowly bowed out of the competition on points scored with French duo Youssef Krou/Romain Di Giantommaso through at their expense. The group was won by the other hot tournament favourites, Matteo and Paolo Ingrosso of Italy who fared as well as expected, disposing of all their opponents to seal their quarterfinal place without surrendering a single set.
As the sun sets over Lake Biel and another emotional day of Volleyball draws to a close, the pool conquerors will enjoy their reprieve and lie in wait at the quarterfinals, whilst eight more are poised to fight tooth and nail to clinch a place in the last eight. Thus the stage is set for a mouth-watering Saturday schedule which is not to be missed.
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