01/09/2016 16:30
Smedins/Solovejs claim extra spot for Latvia in Jurmala Masters men’s Main Draw
2016 CEV Beach Volleyball European Championship - Jurmala Masters
Jurmala, Latvia, September 1, 2016. The 2016 CEV Jurmala Masters started on Thursday with a qualification round which attracted a large number of passers-by who were especially interested in following the matches of the only Latvian team vying for a spot in the Main Draw. Toms Smedins and Aleksandrs Solovejs were made work hard for the achievement of this goal and came from behind in the first set of their second round match with Russia’s 2015 U22 European bronze medal winners Maxim Sivolap and Igor Velichko before pulling out a 2-1 victory to the delight of a partisan crowd. CEV President Aleksandar Boričić also paid a visit to the venue of the Jurmala Masters accompanied by CEV Vice President and Latvian Volleyball Federation (LVF) Vice President Maris Pekalis and LVF President Atis Sausnitis.
Smedins and Solovejs, who have a wealth of experience from the World Tour and European circuit, had opened their home campaign on Thursday morning with a 21-11, 20-22, 15-11 win in their matchup with Mykola Babich and Iaroslav Gordieiev of Ukraine. They had to fight for another three sets also later in the afternoon before recording a 23-21, 17-21, 15-12 victory over Sivolap and Velichko.
As a result, there will be as many as four Latvian teams in the men’s Main Draw of the Jurmala Masters – Smedins/Solovejs join home stars Aleksandrs Samoilovs/Janis Smedins, Baku 2015 European Games gold medallists Martins Plavins/Haralds Regza and wild-card recipients Rihards Finsters/Edgars Tocs to compose the Latvian contingent for the main stage of the tournament.
“We were sure we were going to win the first game and although we lost the second set, we did not let our heads down,” Toms Smedins said. “The second match of the day was much more difficult, our opponents played better defence, they played more aggressive, but we did not give up at 15-19, just continued playing and won the set and the game. We were a couple of points behind in the second set of our second match, the Russians lifted a lot of balls, which made it harder for us, but good for us, that there was a third set, which gave us a chance to win. Aleksandrs played really good in the third set, he made some great blocks,” he continued.
“The weather in Jurmala is really nice, more spectators came to the second game – we heard them. Thank you for the support, it helped a lot. Today is Thursday, most people have to work, so I hope the games coming up on Saturday and Sunday will attract more people,” Smedins concluded.
Other qualifiers
Sergiy Popov and Oleksii Denin of Ukraine did not drop a set in the two matches they contested on Thursday on Majori beach. They first needed only 32 minutes to rout Turkey’s Hasan Hüseyin Mermer and Ali Osman Nurettin 21-17, 21-10 and continued their triumphal march later in the afternoon cruising to a 21-14, 21-17 victory over Stefan Basta and Lazar Kolaric of Serbia.
Daniel Müllner/Lorenz Petutschnig, who are playing together in Jurmala since Petutschnig’s regular partner Tobias Winter is currently injured, claimed the Austrian derby with Martin Ermacora and U22 European silver medallist Moritz Pristauz-Telsnigg 21-18, 21-11. The much more experienced Müllner seemed to adjust far better to the slightly windy conditions on the side courts whilst the younger Pristauz struggled to show the same quality and consistency he had displayed in the morning match with Simon Boman and Martin Appelgren of Sweden.
Nejc Zemljak and Jan Pokersnik of Slovenia claimed the last spot in the Main Draw following their victory in the match with England’s Jake Sheaf and Chris Gregory (21-17, 21-17) who had little time to recover from a three-set battle with Estonia’s Mart Tiisaar and Kusti Nõlvak.
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