Beach Volleyball Update: Brits steal the show at 2011 Prague Open
The 2011 Prague Open Beach Volleyball Tournament is underway in Czech Republic. The tournament was kicked off on Tuesday, May 17 and it will complete its run on May 22. American duo of Casey Jennings and Kevin Wong performed exquisitely well in the Country
Quota Playoffs and booked a slot in the Qualification Tournament. They were joined by Great Britain’s John Garcia-Thompson and Steven Krotowski in the Qualification Tournament, which was played on Wednesday.
The Brits proved to be a better team in the Qualification Tournament and crushed American side in two straight sets. Jennings/Wong couldn’t overcome the power of the strong Brits and received 0-2 (23-25, 22-24) defeat. Brits caused elimination for the American
duo.
Both sides descended in the court with a determination of victory. Jennings and Wong were fully prepared to take on the rival side. They started off with solid serves. Jennings supplied plenty of power to the ball and created trouble for the British players.
As the game progressed, Thompson put up a valiant effort and managed to stop the Americans. Meanwhile, Krotowski came strong on competitors and added more points with his amazing cut shots.
The US duo reacted angrily and the game turned into a heated competition. Long rallies were exchanged and the players of both sides showed their attack and defence power. The score soared up with a narrow gap of points, while suspense and uncertainty reached
higher levels. Eventually, the British side got a perfect kill and put an end to the first set. They secured opening set of the game by sending 25-23 on board.
Success in first set helped British team to open the next set with confident shots. They had grasped the game plan of rivals and came up with the right strategy. They poked the ball from different angles and managed to steal points from Jennings/Wong. The
early lead in the second set enabled Brits to put pressure on the American duo. The situation got bitter for Jennings/Wong as they couldn’t stage a remarkable performance. It seemed as if they were waiting for some miracle to happen. Nevertheless, the British
tandem took full advantage of the nervousness of U.S. duo and chipped in consecutive points. They covered the length of second set in short span of time and claimed match victory by winning second set (25-22).
Jennings was disappointed with the match results. The duo had planned to play the final round of the championship but they failed to advance from the second stage of the tournament. Jennings expressed his views after the match. He said: “Not aggressive enough.
We were just waiting for them to give us the victory instead of grabbing them by the throat.”
Krotowski shared a light moment after the match. He commented: “We did not side out well in this game. They served much better, getting us in trouble receiving. But this is a loss with a little silver lining. Those guys are my friends and for Josh it is
the first time he qualifies for a main draw. So he will owe me a drink.”
Later in the day, the GB duo couldn’t keep the same energy. They crossed their ways with Canada’s Josh Binstock and Richard Van Huizen in the third round of the Qualification Tournament. The match lasted for 35 minutes, while Canadian team pulled off success
by posting 21-19, 21-16.
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