08/06/2019 21:00
Austrian teams shine on home sand in Baden
2019 World Tour 1-Star - Baden Open
Baden, Austria, June 8, 2019. The Main Draw of the World Tour 1-Star event in Baden started on Saturday and the players struggled with a tough wind, which made it very difficult to read and predict the trajectory of the ball. The organisers have been working around the clock to make sure that the competition runs as smoothly as possible, making up for the damages caused by a storm during the night to get everything ready for the start of the competition – and the home teams paid back with some startling performances. Fans can follow the action from the centre court on EuroVolleyTV.
Russia’s qualifiers and rising stars Pavel Shustrov and Alexey Gusev had to withdraw from the competition after Gusev suffered a back injury while they were leading in the second set of their match against their compatriots Maxim Sivolap and Artem Yarzutkin.
Home stars Clemens Doppler and Alexander Horst (pictured) easily won their pool without dropping a set in their matches with teams from Russia and Poland. “It is so much fun to play in front of this crowd, and it is a perfect preparation for the World Championship,” an elated Doppler said.
Martin Ermacora and Moritz Pristauz, aka M&M, were just as dominant in their pool, even though they dropped a set in their second match of the day against Filip Habr/David Lenc of the Czech Republic.
Spain’s qualifiers Alejandro Huerta and Cesar Menendez made it through their pool and eventually reached the quarterfinals after edging Russia’s Petr Bakhnar and Yury Bogatov in the Round of 12. “We are climbing up step by step and managed to achieve all of our goals so far. This tournament is great, with the water park and the crowd, and I can say that the environment is amazing,” said Menendez. “This place is a little different to the usual venues. The environment is very special and the organisers are very motivated to deliver a great job,” added Huerta. Huerta and Menendez will play home heroes Ermacora and Pristauz for a spot in the semis.
The Austrians only lost one set on centre court on Saturday, as the crowd pushed them beyond their limits. Nadine and Teresa Strauss were able to reach the quarterfinals as well. “It is really amazing, since it was our goal to get out of the group phase. The crowd pushed us so much, so that we could have a lot of fun, this is the secret to today’s success,” the Austrian sisters said.
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