Antalya, Turkey, May 8, 2014.  Latvia’s Martins Plavins and Turkey’s Murat Giginoglu are club teammates at Halkbank ANKARA, having played together in the Turkish Volleyball Federation’s Professional Beach Volleyball League this season.  The two reunited as participants in the 2014 CEV Beach Volleyball Satellite Antalya, but no longer as a pair.  Each of them is playing with a teammate from his own country and they both are hoping to face each other in the final.

Murat enjoys meeting Martins again.  “We were partners in Turkey’s league but since we are professionals, we are rivals  here,” he says.  “I was expecting and also wishing to actually confront him in this tournament, especially in the final.  Maybe this will happen and it will be an exciting match. I wish him and his partner Aleksandrs Solovejs good luck in the tournament.”

Martins, whose family accompanies him and supports him in his matches on the Mediterranean coast, certainly agrees with Murat.  He is also happy to be part of this CEV Satellite tournament in Antalya.  He likes being in Turkey and it would be an exciting match for him if he could confront Murat in the final match.

Both the Turkish and the Latvian duos, respectively Murat Giginoglu / Selcuk Sekerci and Aleksandrs Solovejs / Martins Plavins, won their first matches in the main draw on Thursday.  The Latvian tandem also won its 2nd Round match to make it through to the 3rd Round, while the Turkish pair lost its second match and will play against compatriots Engin Ozbek / Ersin Durgut in the losers’ bracket.

Click here for more information on the tournament.