PODIUM FINISHERS. The champions and podium finishers with (front from left) Philippine Olympic Committee secretary-general Atty. Wharton Chan, Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann, Ayala Land vice president May Rodriguez, Santa Rosa City Mayor Arlene Arcillas and Philippine National Volleyball Federation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara after the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge at the Nuvali Sand Courts in Santa Rosa City, Laguna on Sunday night (Dec. 3, 2023). Austria’s Robin Seidl and Moritz Pristauz won the men’s division of the tournament. (Photo courtesy of PNVF)
MANILA – Austria’s Robin Seidl and Moritz Pristauz drubbed Australia’s Thomas Hodges and Zachery Schubert, 21-18, 21-16, to rule the men’s division of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge on Sunday night at the world-class Nuvali Sand Courts in Santa Rosa City, Laguna.
The world No. 27 Austrian pair capped an amazing run with only a single set yielded through six games to hoist the trophy heading into the grand finals next week in Doha, Qatar.
Pristauz fired 15 points on seven hits, six blocks and two aces while Seidl uncorked 13 points on 12 attacks and a block as the Austrians annexed their third medal in the Pro Tour.
The Austrian tandem finished with a bronze medal in the La Paz Challenge in Mexico and topped the Goa Challenge in India before trooping to Santa Rosa, Laguna for the biggest beach volleyball event ever hosted by the Philippines behind the leadership of Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) president Ramon “Tats” Suzara.
Seidl and Pristauz absorbed their lone set defeat against the world No. 37 duo of Joao Pedrosa and Hugo Campos of Portugal in the quarterfinals, 15-21, 21-17-, 15-10.
Since then, the fancied Austrian bets were not to be denied in their march to the throne by making short work of world No. 44 Javier and Joaquin Bello, 21-13, 22-20, of England, in the semifinals.
World No. 13 Hodges and Schubert hammered 16 and 11 points, respectively, in a silver-medal finish after beating world No. 11 Patrikas Stankevicius and Audrius Knasas of Lithuania, 21-16, 19-21, 15-13.
Stankevicius and Knasas then beat the Bello brothers, 23-21, 17-21, 15-10, in the bronze-medal match to complete the men’s podium of the top-tier Nuvali beach joust supported by gold sponsors Ayala Land, Mikasa, Senoh, Philippine Sports Commission, Pinay In Action and Smart as gold sponsors and PLDT, Gatorade, Maynilad, Rebisco, Ayala Malls, Department of Tourism, CBPI, Club Laiya, Foton as bronze sponsors.
Earlier in the women’s tourney, world No. 14 Anastasija Samoilova and Tina Graudina of Latvia emerged as champions after a 21-14, 21-18 win over world No. 21 Daniela Alvarez Mendoza and Tania Moreno Matveeva of Spain.
The Brazilian tandem of Taina Silvi Bigi and Victoria Lopes Pereira Tosta, world No. 13, then clinched the bronze with a 21-17, 21-14 win over world No. 20 Lezana Placette and Alexia Richard of France. (PR)
