08/07/2017 11:21
Historic CEV Satellite underway in Kharkiv
2017 CEV Beach Volleyball Satellite - Kharkiv
Kharkiv, Ukraine, July 7, 2017. The first CEV Satellite tournament to take place in Ukraine since a previous event held in Kyiv in 2010 started on Friday at the Gorky Park in Kharkiv with the qualification round. Many Beach Volleyball fans came together to witness the historic event and a number of close matches, which eventually determined the eight teams progressing to the Main Draw.
Teams from Russia and Norway achieved this feat after playing opponents from their home country. Bjarne Nikolai Huus/Svein Oddmund Solhaug beat Christian Helland/Jørn Olav Gamlemoen 21-13, 21-19 in a Norwegian derby whereas Russia’s Alexander Likholetov and Ilya Leshukov needed three sets to edge Ruslan Dayanov and Yury Bogatov 21-23, 21-17, 15-12. Bogatov and Dayanov are the winners of this year’s Snow Volleyball European Tour stop in Kronplatz / Plan de Corones, Italy.
Two French teams progressed to the Main Draw as well. Arnaud Gauthier-Rat and Arnaud Loiseau, winners of this year’s CEV Satellite in Göteborg, did so without even contesting a match whereas Youssef Krou, who boasts a number of good finishes on the World Tour, and his new partner Quincy Ayé did so after beating Israel’s Sean Faiga and Netanel Amiram Ohana 18-21, 21-11, 15-11.
The silver medallist from the 2015 World Championship, Christiaan Varenhorst, and partner Maarten van Garderen of the Netherlands achieved that feat as well after a close match with Turkey’s Murat Giginoglu and Safa Urlu (25-23, 22-20). Aliaksandr Kavalenka and Aliaksandr Dziadkou of Belarus upset the home fans as they beat Ukraine’s Vladyslav Palenko and Vladyslav Iemelianchyk 21-13, 21-16. Estonia’s Mart Tiisaar and Kusti Nõlvak needed only 29 minutes to rout Finland’s Santeri Siren and Miro Määttänen 21-18, 21-12 in the shortest match of the day. Jan Dumek/David Lenc of the Czech Republic made it to the Main Draw after rallying to a 21-19, 21-16 victory over Sweden’s Simon Boman/Martin Appelgren.
The Main Draw commences on Saturday along with the Pool B matches on schedule for the qualification round of the 2017-2018 CEV Youth Beach Volleyball Continental Cup.
Live streaming of the final matches on July 9 will be available at LAOLA1.tv, as well as on two Ukrainian websites, Xsport and Sport 1, not to forget a YouTube channel set up by Broadcasting Solutions Kharkiv.
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