09/08/2014 22:18
Spanish derby in men’s semi-finals at Biel/Bienne Masters
2014 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship – Biel/Bienne Masters
Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, August 9, 2014. A big programme was in the stores for the men’s teams competing at the Biel/Bienne Masters, fourth stop of this year’s CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship. The top European teams had the herculean task to play three matches on Saturday in order to secure their semi-final tickets at the Beachmania.
The Swiss teams, however, had to swallow a bitter pill; only Sébastien Chevallier, ambassador of the Beachmania, and his teammate Alexei Strasser made it through to the elimination stage in front of their home crowd – even though their journey already ended in Round 1.
The foreign teams were in the spotlight after that – and they didn’t disappoint the numerous spectators, as some thrilling games took place on the centre court at the lakeside; one of these tights duels was the match starring the Italian twins Matteo and Paolo Ingrosso versus Youssef Krou/Edouard Rowlandson of France; the Italians and the French played some long and very intensive rallies with big saves on both sides. But in the end, Edouard Rowlandson and Youssef Krou had the upper hand after almost one hour of play (21-18, 18-21, 19-17).
The Spanish fans had a lot to celebrate in the other quarterfinal games, which were the big highlights of the day. Both teams from the Iberian Peninsula qualified to the semi-finals tomorrow with straight-set victories – 2013 European champions Pablo Herrera/Adrian Gavira over Austria’s Peter Eglseer/Felix Koraimann (21-18, 21-17) and Luis Alfredo Marco/Christian García (pictured) over Poland’s Piotr Kantor/Bartosz Losiak (21-16, 21-18). Nevertheless, there won’t be an all-Spanish final at the Beachmania in Biel/Bienne, as the number one-seeded Herrera/Gavira will face Marco/García in the semi-finals tomorrow – a big game for both teams and a spectacular Beach Volleyball smash for the spectators on the stands of the Beachmania stadium.
In the third quarterfinal game, Tim Holler/Jonas Schröder won the all-German fight and claimed a semi-final ticket. They defeated their compatriots Sebastian Dollinger/Lars Flüggen (21-18, 21-13), who had previously edged 2014 European bronze medallists Clemens Doppler/Alexander Horst of Austria thereby causing one of the main sensations of the day. Jonas Schröder, who two weeks ago won gold at the World University Championships in Porto, was already focused on the matches to follow: “We could take an important lesson from our previous matches. These changes laid the foundations of our victory today.”
To round out today’s men’s competition, Poland’s Michal Kadziola and Jakub Szalankiewicz clinched the last semi-final ticket with a 2-0 victory (21-10, 21-19) over Youssef Krou/Edouard Rowlandson. The French guys gave their very best, but had to leave the court disappointed. “We still are a young team and have to improve ourselves. Nevertheless, we can be happy with what we have achieved here in Biel/Bienne,” they said.
The semi-finalists are ready for the big day coming up tomorrow. Even more as the winners of the men’s tournament will claim a spot for their country in next year’s FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in the Netherlands.
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