Olsztyn, Poland, August 29, 2015 – Jonathan Erdmann and Kay Matysik reached their second semifinal of the 2015 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour when they ended the hopes of local favourites Piotr Kantor and Bartosz Losiak at the Olsztyn Grand Slam on Saturday.
The German pair defeated their Polish counterparts 2-0 (21-19, 27-25), but they were pushed all the way by the last local team in the men’s draw, who ignored Kantor’s problematic thigh to save four match points before Erdmann won the match with a block.
They will now play the USA’s Jacob Gibb and Casey Patterson, who defeated their compatriots Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena 2-0 (21-19, 21-18).
“After the medical timeout we had a good feeling, but they played amazing defence and reached every shot,” Matysik said. “We were a little bit afraid that we might lose the game in the end. It was a tight match, but we finished it in our favour.”
Matysik and Erdmann have fond memories of competing in Poland. Two years ago at the Mazury 2013, FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships the pair achieved their best result when they won bronze.
They added another bronze to their collection earlier in 2015 when they finished third at the Moscow Grand Slam, but they have not been able to reach the semifinals since then,
“We are always really happy to play in Poland, we always feel good here and enjoy it a lot,” Erdmann said. “I think the fans remember us from 2013.
“We always come with a good feeling and it would be good to finish with a medal, but let’s see tomorrow.”
World champions in line to maintain golden run
Alison Cerutti and Bruno Schmidt remain on course to win their fourth successive World Tour golds since they won the Netherlands 2015, FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in July.
The Brazilian pair advanced into the semifinals with a 2-0 (21-12, 21-19) win over European champions Aleksandrs Samoilovs and Janis Smedins. They will now take on Canada’s Ben Saxton and Chaim Schalk, who defeated the USA’s Ty Bourne and John Hyden, 2-0 (21-15, 21-14).
Since winning in the Netherlands Alison and Bruno have won gold in at the Gstaad Major Series tournament and the Yokohama and Long Beach Grand Slams.
“The Latvians are an excellent team and played really well, but we are in another semifinal,” Bruno said. “We are feeling so much better as we raised our level throughout the tournament.”
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