Italian duo advances to men’s qualifiers at Silesia Open – Volleyball news
The 49-year-old Italian player Roberto Papagna turned many heads around in his debut performance at the Country Quota Playoffs of Silesia Open men’s beach volleyball tournament in Myslowice, Poland on Tuesday.
Papagna alongside his teammate Gianluca Oligeri worked out a wonderful performance in the CQ match and defeated the opposite pairing of Filippo Cecchini and Marco Sordelli. The match lasted for two sets and Papagna/ Oligeri emerged successful. The final
set scores were 2-0 (21-9, 21-14).
Papagna had major surgery on his chest artery last year but still amazed the audience with a display of fine play. He drew more attention towards him for being one of the oldest players ever on the World Tour, who started playing beach volleyball at the
age of 37.
Cecchini/Sordelli started off slow and caught up in errors in early few minutes of the match. Meanwhile, the duo of Papagna/ Oligeri came up with strong attacks and earned better position. Both players complimented each other and hit the ball from different
angles. They showed great consistency in attack and took the score by storm.
Likewise, they locked the opponents at a low score and did not allow them to raise heads in the game. First set came successful for Papagna/ Oligeri as they sent 21-9 on board.
The second stanza unfolded the similar story. Papagna/ Oligeri hit confident shots, while the rival side constantly remained in the cold waters. Cecchini/Sordelli improved a little bit in the second frame but still failed to avoid the defeat. Second set
ended with final score of 21-14, while Papagna/ Oligeri emerged victorious.
Papagna seemed totally overwhelmed with victory in his debut match. He shared his thoughts after the match and said, “I just want to have fun. Of course I want to win, but I like the game and want to play and have fun. And I enjoy sightseeing here as well,
I rented a car and visited the city and ate some local food, just like a tourist.”
The winning duo of Papagna and Oligeri is now scheduled to take on Kaczmarek-Walkenhorst of Germany in the next match on Wednesday. The Italian pair is currently enjoying a great form and hope to grab more success at the qualification tournament.
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