09/06/2019 20:00
Austrian party continues at Baden Open with women’s gold and bronze
2019 World Tour 1-Star - Baden Open
Baden, Austria, June 9, 2019. Sunday delivered an Austrian party at the World Tour 1-Star event in Baden, where the home teams claimed gold and bronze from the women’s tournament and two spots in the men’s semis due to take place on Monday.
Top seeds Katharina Schützenhöfer and Lena Plesiutschnig eventually crowned their dream of home success in Baden as they beat Katja Stam and Julia Wouters of the Netherlands in the final (21-17, 21-12). “We are obviously extremely excited and happy to win this tournament,” said Schützenhöfer. “I would like to thank the crowd for cheering for us, as without their help, we would not have achieved this result.”
Home stars Nadine and Teresa Strauss claimed a dramatic victory in the bronze medal match with Belgian qualifiers Sarah Cools and Lisa Van den Vonder. Nadine Strauss struggled with cramps in her foot but she did not stop fighting, even though she had to cope with pain. The Austrian twin sisters managed to cancel four match balls for their Belgian rivals and completed a terrific comeback by securing the bronze medal after a 19-17 win in the tiebreak. “It was just amazing and we played beyond our limits,” an emotional Nadine Strauss said. “We both had cramps and it was obviously very challenging to play under such conditions but it was very important to win before such a great crowd. We are over the moon.”
Alexander Huber and Christoph Dressler are one of two Austrian teams due to contest the men's semis on Monday.
With a full and noisy stadium, two Austrian teams qualified for the men’s semis. Clemens Doppler and Alexander Horst made it to the semi-finals after edging Turkey’s Selcuk Sekerci and Safa Urlu in three sets. “The crowd is just amazing and we feel the same noise as in Vienna even though the stadium here is much smaller. It is very important for us to feel the fans, especially in such a tight game.”
Alexander Huber/Christoph Dressler are the second Austrian team in the semis, which will feature Spanish qualifiers Alejandro Huerta/Cesar Menendez and Russia’s Maxim Sivolap/Artem Yarzutkin as well. With an Austrian derby in the semis, the organisers look forward to having another full stadium on Monday to cap an incredibly successful edition of the Baden Open.
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