Good attack allows Dutch pair to advance from the qualifying round of 2012 Rome Grand Slam
Netherlands’ Jon Stiekema and Christiaan Varenhorst caught a good start in the 2012 SWATCH FIVB Smart Grand Slam in Rome and pulled off success in their opening matches on Wednesday, June 13.
Stiekema and Varenhorst made it through qualifying to the main draw of SWATCH FIVB event for fifth time in 2012, which is pretty impressive.
Russian 25th-seeded pairing of Yutvalin and Likholetov came into contest with the Dutch duo in the tournament opener. The early picture of the match was quite different from the final outcome. Russians made a strong opening in the match and gave a tough
time to Stiekema and Varenhorst in first set. They staged better action and seized first-set win at 22-20.
However, the Dutch tandem recovered from the shock of defeat in the following set. They strengthened the defence and brought more ferocity in attack, which allowed them to create the tie of the game score in second set. They captured second set, 21-16.
After the tie of scores, a third set was played to determine the winner of the match. Stiekema-Varenhorst carried the momentum and continued with success in the decisive third set. They sent 15-9 on board to claim the final set, which announced 2-1 victory
for them.
The second match put them against compatriots Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen. In all-Dutch affair, Stiekema-Varenhorst claimed the same results. They posted 2-1 (19-21, 21-14, 15-13) victory over country mates. The entire match progressed in the similar
fashion. Stiekema and Varenhorst dropped the opening set but made a great comeback in the following two sets.
Stiekema expressed delight about success in the qualifying matches. He shared his thoughts in the following manner, “We were a little nervous because we play with them constantly, so we knew it would be a tough. There was only a one point win at the end,
so that makes it even better. It is huge. When you are in the main draw of a Grand Slam you are guaranteed three matches against better competitors, so it is great for us.”
The smart Grand Slam, Rome took centre stage on June 13 and the thrilling competition will go on till Sunday, June 17. This is the last event, which will award ranking points to the teams to make it to the 2012 London Olympics. Overall, it is seventh men’s
event on the 2012 SWATCH FIVB World Tour Calendar. Shared prize money of $43,000 is on stake at the 2012 Rome Grand Slam.
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