The WEVZA indoor Beach Volleyball tournament which is being held in the city of Montpellier continued on Saturday with completion of pool play and the quarter-final matches thereby determining the four semi-finalists in both the men’s and women’s competition. The host country is represented by two men’s and two women’s teams, with first-seeded Youssef Krou/Edouard Rowlandson having already set their sight on a possible home triumph. On Sunday there will be a French derby in the women’s as well as in the men’s semis as also teams from Italy, Germany and Switzerland have reached the last stage of the competition.
The top four seeds of the women’s tournament lived up to their status and all made the semis. Italy’s first-seeded Giulia Momoli and Laura Giombini did so after scoring a 21-13, 21-16 victory over France’s Pauline Lassale/Manon Rebuffel. In the semis coming up on Sunday they will be playing Germany’s Sandra Ittlinger and Yanina Weiland who had to fight for 47 minutes until they finally edged past France’s Aline Chamereau/Ophélie Lusson (2:1; 20-22, 21-19, 15-11). “In Germany we have so many good teams that it is difficult to get the chance to join an international tournament so we are very happy with the opportunity to play here in Montpellier,” Weiland and Ittlinger said. “We are really happy and proud of having reached the semi-finals.”
The other semi-final will be an all-French affair; second-seeded Laura Longuet/Deborah Giaoui made it to the top four of the home tournament in Montpellier after scoring a speedy 21-9, 21-12 victory over their countrywomen Alexia Richard/Margaux Carrère. Their next opponents will be Melinda Adelin and Mathilde Giordano who showed no mercy for Italy’s youngsters Laura Cavalluzzi and Jessica Jenifer Luca cruising to a 21-11, 21-8 victory in 29 minutes of play.
France’s top duos clashed in the quarter-finals of the men’s tournament where the winners of this year’s FIVB Xiamen Open, Youssef Krou and Edouard Rowlandson, made an easy work of their countrymen Jean-Baptiste Daguerre and Yannick Salvetti, cashing a 21-17, 21-19 victory to make the semis. They will be playing another French duo there after Martel Bosqui/Adrian Caravano claimed the derby with Maxime Thiercy/Tanguy Lomba in straight sets as well (21-17, 21-16). “It is always difficult to play with our training partners as we know each other very well,” Krou and his partner commented. “It was a very emotional match since both teams were determined to show that they are the best in this rivalry.”
Switzerland’s Mats Kovatsch and Jonas Kissling upset Italy’s second-seeded Andrea Tomatis and Luca Colaberardino with a 21-10, 21-17 victory that propelled them into the semis for a match up with Germany’s Max Betzien and Toni Hellmuth, winners of the remaining quarter-final match with Arnaud Gauthier-Rat/Arnaud Loiseau (21-16, 21-11), the players who had represented France at this year’s Youth Summer Olympics in Nanjing, China.
Click here to access to all the results of the tournament.
Click here to access to the photo gallery of the tournament.
