Fort Lauderdale, USA, February 7, 2017 – With eight men’s teams qualifying for Wednesday’s opening Main Draw play here Tuesday during a 24-team preliminary set of matches, Switzerland’s Nico Beeler and Marco Krattiger took the longest path by winning two matches at the $600,000 Fort Lauderdale Major.
The first of four Swatch Major Series events on the 2017 FIVB World Tour calendar with other stops in Croatia, Switzerland and Germany, Beeler and Krattiger posted wins over pairs from Switzerland and the United States to gain a spot in Wednesday’s opening rounds at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park where play will be held on six sea-side courts.
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FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Swatch Major Series 2017Latest VideosFacebookTwitterInstagramMedia GuidesCompeting in only their second FIVB World Tour event, the 23-year old Beeler and 22-year old Krattiger are 2-for-2 in qualifying for international beach volleyball main draws after the pair won three preliminary round matches last July in Klagenfurt, Austria.
After posting a 2-0 (21-12, 21-15) win in 29 minutes over compatriots Adrian Heidrich and Gabriel Kissling, the 10th-seeded Beeler and Krattiger advanced to Wednesday’s pool play action with a 2-1 (15-21, 22-20, 17-15) victory in 48 minutes over seventh-seeded Billy Allen and Stafford Slick United States. The Americans were playing in their first-ever FIVB World Tour event.
Switzerland's Marco Krattiger and Nico Beeler give five
Saymon Barbosa and Alvaro Filho of Brazil, the top-seeded team in the qualifiers, advanced to the Fort Lauderdale Major Main Draw with a 2-0 (21-13, 21-16) win in 30 minutes over Romain Di Giantommaso and Maxime Thiercy of France. Two of Brazil’s up-and-coming players, Saymon and Alvaro are playing together internationally for the first-time.
Other men’s teams qualifying Tuesday were third-seeded Christoph Dressler/Thomas Kunert and eighth-seeded Robin Seidl/Tobias Winter of Austria, fourth-seeded Kay Matysik/Alexander Walkenhorst and 18th-seeded Bennet and David Poniewaz of Germany, sixth-seeded Maciej Rudol/Jakub Szalankiewicz of Poland and 12th-seeded Trevor Crabb/Sean Rosenthal of the United States.
Making a point Austria's Thomas KunertLike the Swiss pair, Crabb/Rosenthal and the Poniewaz had to win a pair of qualifying matches Tuesday to advance. Both Poniewaz’s wins were upset victories over teams from Latvia and Belgium. The Americans ousted a team from Switzerland before upsetting and eliminating a team from Norway.
Wednesday and Thursday’s rounds will feature pool play as the top three teams from each group advance to Friday’s opening elimination rounds. The men’s semifinal and medal matches will be staged Saturday. The women’s final four matches will be Sunday as the winning pairs will split the $50,000 first-place prizes.
Over 100 teams from 26 countries have entered the Fort Lauderdale Major as Fort Lauderdale Beach Park hosts an international beach volleyball event for the second time in the last 17 months. The 2015 Swatch FIVB World Tour Finals were held in October 2015 with the Brazilians pairs of Alison Cerutti/Bruno Oscar Schmidt and Talita Antunes/Larissa Franca winning the gold medals. Both pairs will be competing in the Fort Lauderdale Major.