26/05/2012 20:30
Swiss girls cause major sensation to seize Baden Masters
2012 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship
Baden, Austria, May 26, 2012. At the end of a very long and exciting day of action, Isabelle Forrer and Anouk Vergé-Dépré of Switzerland caused a major sensation in Baden as they defeated the Czech girls Hana Klapalova/Lenka Hajeckova in final match of the women’s Masters. The hosting country still has got the chance to top the podium in the men’s division, where Xandi Huber/Robin Seidl, Clemens Doppler/Alexander Horst and Thomas Kunert/Lorenz Petutschnig will all play in the semis scheduled for Sunday at noon.
The final game was played in front of packed stands and with the best weather conditions the organizers as well as the players could have asked for. The Czechs Klapalova/Hajeckova seized a pretty straight opening set (21-13) before the fight got much tighter in set two. The Swiss girls could exploit their set ball to draw the count at 1:1 (24-22). As they were loudly cheered by their many supporters, Isabelle and Anouk sailed to the final 15-13 to crown their campaign with a sensational gold medal. “We cannot believe we have won this great tournament here in Baden but we are so happy”, said Isabelle Forrer.
The Finns Erika Nystrom/Emilia Nystrom were happy with their bronze medal after defeating their Slovak opponents Natalia Dubovcova/Dominika Nestarcova with a perfect 2:0 (21-19, 21-18). The game was very tight with splendid and long rallies accompanied by the enthusiasm of quite many Beach Volleyball fans there in Baden.
The men’s tournament continued on Saturday afternoon with a series of matches that defined the grid for the semifinals. The Austrian games got much attention from the local audience and there Doppler/Horst defeated their rivals Kotsilianos/Zoupanis of Greece (21-11, 21-11). Xandi Huber and Robin Seidl got their pass for the semifinals after they got the upper hand against Babich/Ioisher of the Ukraine (21-16, 21-16). A ticket for the semis was clipped also by the Austrian youngsters Thomas Kunert and Lorenz Petutschnig, who – having joined the Main Draw in Baden via a wild card – showed they fully deserved that “privilege” by edging Babich/Ioisher of the Ukraine (21-15, 38-36) in the losers’ bracket. The Greek duo Kotsilianos/Zoupanis also advanced to the semifinals after winning against Zharykau/Kavalenka of Belarus (21-17, 21-17).
Click here for more information or visit the official website www.beachvolleyball-baden.at
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