Results for Qualification tournament at 2011 Morocco Open – Beach Volleyball news
The $190,000 single gender Morocco Open Beach Volleyball Tournament is currently underway in Aqadir, Morocco, as the 14th and final men’s event of the 2011 FIVB Swatch World Tour started off on Tuesday, October. The opening day of the tournament featured the early stage of Country Quota Playoffs, where two Dutch pairs contested for the empty spot in the Qualification Tournament. The successful duo from the CQ joined the other 32 teams in the next stage of the Morocco Open.
The Qualification Tournament for the Main Draw was played on Wednesday, October 5, where 10 teams made it to the main draw of the first edition of the FIVB Swatch World Tour Morocco Open.
Martin Laciga and Jonas Weingart
The top-seeded Swiss tandem of Martin Laciga and Jonas Weingart took a great start with a tough three sets 21-16 20-22 15-6 victory against Matteo Cecchini and Raffaele Cionna (33rd) of Italy. In the second match, they were challenged by 16th seeded Czech duo of Jan Dumek and Martin Tichy. Comparatively, it was an easier match as it ended in only two sets. Laciga and Weingart finished the match with 21-18, 21-16 and reserved a spot in the Main Draw.
Stefan Gunnarson and Hannes Brinkborg
The dynamic pairing of Stefan Gunnarson and Hannes Brinkborg for Sweden also clawed their way to the Main Draw by winning both of their matches at the qualification tournament. The second seeded Swedes first edged out compatriots Abdelillah Akazou and Mostapha Hamsi (21-11, 21-8) and carried the momentum into beating Ukraine’s Mykola Babich and Oleksandr Ioisher in the second match (21-18 21-17). Gunnarson and Brinkborg claimed four sets, in order to advance to the Main Draw.
“It was pretty hot, especially our last game. That is why we like to play qualification. We need that warm-up to perform well,” Gunnarsson joked. Their best finish so far was fifth in Quebec this year. Brinkborg said, “We hope to get a good finish here and score some points, because we are still outside the Olympic list and hope to move up a little.”
Andy and Kevin Ces
The 5th-seeded French brothers, Andy and Kevin Ces, breezed past teams from Sweden and Austria at the qualification tournament. The Swedish team of Manne and Marten Norman crossed paths with the French duo in the first match and received a 0-2 (14-21, 18-21) defeat. Likewise, the Austrians Alexander Huber and Robin Seidl tried to hinder the performance of the Ces brothers in the second match but ended up with a 1-2 (22-20, 13-21, 12-15) loss.
Matteo and Paolo Ingrosso
Third-seeded Italian twins Matteo and Paolo Ingrosso also advanced to the Main Draw. They dismissed the home duo of OUCHRIF-DIOURI in the first match by posting 2-0 (21-13, 21-13) win, while eliminated the Dutch pairing Varenhorst-Stiekema in the second match. Varenhorst and Stiekema advanced to the qualification tournament via the CQ match.
In other qualifiers of the Main-Draw, Jason Lochhead and Kirk Pitman of New Zealand, Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen of Netherlands and two pairs from Poland were included.
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