AUSTRIA--Olympic bronze medalists Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen kept their cool to become one of a host of teams to book their place in the knockout rounds of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships presented by A1 on Sunday.
The Dutch duo warmed-up – or,rather, cooled down – before and during their match with Italy’s Alex Ranghieri and Adrian Carambula by wearing ice vests in their training session and in between points as sizzling summer temperatures at Vienna’s Danube Island hit a scorching 35 degrees Celsius (95 degree Fahrenheit).
And their use of the pioneering technology paid off as the pair secured a 21-15, 22-20 win on the Red Bull Beach Arena.
“I think we are the only team who do that on the court and it’s really helping us out,” said Brouwer.
“It’s one of the most important aspects of staying strong and healthy in the middle of a match.
“In beach volleyball it is about details – you can get up to 35 degrees on center court, but with something like ice vests and our physio bringing ice, we are trying to make a difference.”
The pair were also joined in the knockout stages by Austrian heroes Clemens Doppler and Alexander Horst, who were the toast of the Red Bull Beach Arena in the final match of the day.
The top-seeded team from the host country were roared on to a comfortable 21-12, 21-15 win over Canadian continental qualifiers Aaron Nusbaum and Ryan Vandenburg.
Other men’s teams to make it through to next week’s elimination matches included Canadians Ben Saxton and Chaim Schalk – who meet Doppler/Horst in what will be a match to decide who tops Pool L.
Meanwhile, one of the favorites for the women’s title in Vienna, Brazil’s Larissa Franca Maestrini and Talita Antunes, also stormed through to the knockout phase with a game to spare. The number one seeds never looked in any danger of slipping up against Americans Emily Day and Nicole Branagh on the Red Bull Beach Arena sand.
Despite Nusbaum and Vandenburg’s defeat to Doppler/Horst, it was a good day for Canada as two women’s teams also made it through to the elimination stage thanks to victories.
Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes continue to dominate Pool G – they wasted no time in dispatching Italy’s Marta Menegatti and Rebecca Perry 21-16, 21-13 in 35 minutes to make it two wins out of two. And Canadian compatriots Heather Bansley and Brandie Wilkerson will also be in the hat for the knockout round after their speedy 21-11, 21-11 win over Venezuelans Norisbeth Agudo Gonzalez and Gabriela Brito.
The pool play action continues on the Danube Island on Monday with an all-German women’s clash between 2016 Olympic champions Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst and wildcards Karla Borger and Maggie Kozuch the highlight on the Red Bull Beach Arena at 2pm CET.
