Pre-favourites live up to their status at #EuroBeachVolleyU18

Izmir, Turkey. The 2020 edition of #EuroBeachVolleyU18 continued on Friday in Izmir at Pamucak Beach, with completion of the pool stage. The teams performing right by the shores of the Aegean Sea contested their last matches in the group phase of the competition and the results determined which tandems would progress to the knockout round starting on Saturday.

Unfortunately, the three teams representing Turkey in the men’s competition lost all of their matches while only one women’s team representing the host country managed to reach the Round of 24.

Among the favourites of the women’s tournament, Elizaveta Gubina and Arina Riazhnova of Russia (pictured above) easily made it through the pool stage. Their last match in the pool against Lithuania’s Melanija Vasiliauskaite/Ariana Rudkovskaja lasted 30 minutes only (21-14, 21-12). The 16-year-old Gubina is the defending European champion after last year she claimed the gold medal in Baden, Austria, along with Mariia Bocharova.

The two Ukrainian teams, as well as Anouk Kressler/Lea Toschini of Switzerland and Italy’s Aurora Mattavelli/Margherita Tega completed a clean sweep of their matches in the pool phase as well, thus proving that they are among the contenders for the medals in Izmir.

“I think we showed a great performance and played well but we have to raise our level day by day if we want to get a medal at this EuroVolleyBeachU18,” said Kressler.

In the men’s competition, the most enjoyable match of the day featured Sweden’s Linus Isaksson/Hampus Ekstrand and Latvia’s Kristians Fokerots/Karlis Abelitis. Although the Swedish team won in straight sets (21-10, 21-13), many long rallies made this match a real treat. “I really enjoyed today’s performance and I am very happy that we won the match and qualified to the next round,” said Ekstrand. Two years ago, Sweden won U18 men’s gold with the recently crowned U20 European champions Jonatan Hellvig and David Åhman.

On Saturday, the competition will resume as early as at 9:00 am with the knockout matches.

Women:
Round of 24:
Sep 19, 09:40 Gubik/Vecsey HUN vs Bradatan/Radu ROU
Sep 19, 09:40 Gouin/Gaston FRA vs Alrod Ben Naim/Havia ISR
Sep 19, 09:40 Selicharova/Fixova CZE vs Niederhauser/Kernen SUI
Sep 19, 09:00 Tomasova/Koblizkova CZE vs Kielak/Kruczek POL
Sep 19, 09:00 Šen/Kadunc SLO vs Marcinowska/Ciezkowska POL

Pool C
Alrod Ben Naim/Havia ISR vs Jashari/Avdullahu KOS 0-2 (17-21, 12-21)
Binimelis/Fernández da Silva ESP vs Alrod Ben Naim/Havia ISR 2-0 (21-14, 21-2)

Pool D
Selicharova/Fixova CZE vs Mrkic/Sverko CRO 1-2 (21-15, 17-21, 5-15)
Bradatan/Radu ROU vs Mrkic/Sverko CRO 0-2 (8-21, 16-21)
Selicharova/Fixova CZE vs Bradatan/Radu ROU 2-0 (21-13, 21-11)

Pool E
Tšuhnenkova/Chukhnenkova EST vs Tomasova/Koblizkova CZE 1-2 (13-21, 21-10, 5-15)
Chechelnytska/Romaniuk UKR vs Tomasova/Koblizkova CZE 2-0 (21-13, 21-15)
Tomasova/Koblizkova CZEN vs Niederhauser/Kernen SUI 2-0 (21-18, 21-11)

Pool G
Gubik/Vecsey HUN vs Gavrilova/Salmanova RUS 0-2 (18-21, 9-21)
Gubik/Vecsey HUN vs Dreimane/Vasiljeva LAT 2-1 (18-21, 21-15, 15-10)
Marcinowska/Ciezkowska POL vs Gubik/Vecsey HUN 1-2 (21-18, 17-21, 11-15)

Pool H
Šen/Kadunc SLO vs Cikuc/Cikuc SRB 2-0 (21-11, 21-17)
Šen/Kadunc SLO vs Kielak/Kruczek POL 2-1 (22-24, 21-19, 15-12)
Mattavelli/Tega ITA vs Šen/Kadunc SLO 2-1 (21-15, 16-21, 15-10)

Men
Round of 24
19-Sep, 11:20 Hölting Nilsson/Nordh Öhman SWE vs Nemec/Malik CZE
19-Sep, 11:20 Lanevski/Miscenko LTU vs Udvarhelyi/Dóczi HUN

Pool B
Udvarhelyi/Dóczi HUN vs Van Langendonck/De Hert BEL 0-2 (17-21, 18-21)
Udvarhelyi/Dóczi HUN vs Gurkan N./Gurkan TUR 2-0 (21-15, 21-8)
Panchenko/Chuprinov RUS vs Udvarhelyi/Dóczi HUN 2-0 (21-10, 21-7)

Pool C
Okorn/Marovt SLO vs Keskin/Tur TUR 2-0 (21-14, 21-10)
Okorn/Marovt SLO vs Ibrahimi/Zejna KOS 2-0 (21-8, 21-10)
Okorn/Marovt SLO vs Lanevski/Miscenko LTU 2-1 (17-21, 21-16, 15-10)

Pool D
Laus/Voit EST vs. Zajc/Bracko SLO 0-2 (16-21, 12-21)
Kolb/Steinmann SUI vs. Zajc/Bracko SLO 0-2 (14-21, 14-21)
Nazaryan/Asmaryan, K. ARM vs. Zajc/Bracko SLO 0-2 (7-21, 7-21)

Pool E
Nemec/Malik CZE vs. Berzins/Teteris LAT 0-2 (16-21, 17-21)
Nemec/Malik CZE vs.Boiko/Omelchuk UKR 1-2 (21-17, 18-21, 12-15)
Nemec/Malik CZE vs Jurkovic/Repek CRO 2-1 (17-21, 21-10, 15-12)
Jurkovic/Repek CRO vs Berzins/Teteris LAT 0-2 (9-21, 17-21)
Boiko/Omelchuk UKR vs Jurkovic/Repek CRO 2-0 (21-13, 21-13)

Pool G
Cuzmiciov/Yellin ISR vs Kosinski/Tanase ROU 1-2 (21-19, 18-21, 10-15)
Cuzmiciov/Yellin ISR vs Merkulov/Tereshchenko UKR 2-1 (21-17, 15-21, 15-11)
Viera/Bernal R ESP vs Cuzmiciov/Yellin ISR 0-2 (15-21, 18-21)

Pool H
Fokerots/Abelitis LAT vs Polednik/Pohl CZE 2-0 (21-15, 21-15)
Isaksson/Ekstrand SWE vs Polednik/Pohl CZE 2-0 (21-10, 21-13)
Canet/Rotar FRA vs Polednik/Pohl CZE 2-0 (21-19, 21-11)