Xiamen, China, April 18, 2018 – Adrian Heidrich and Mirco Gerson from Switzerland secure a place in the 2018 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Xiamen Open main draw defeating Felipe Humana-Paredes and Cameron Wheelan from Canada, 2-0 (21-19, 21-8).
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Xiamen - WebsiteXiamen - Schedule and ResultsXiamen - Tournament NotesHeidrich/Gerson faced the Canadian pair after beating Poland’s Maciej Rudol and Kacper Kujawiak in their opening qualification match, 2-0 (21-15, 21-16).
“It was also a little bit nervous start this morning, Rudol & Kujawiak played very well and in the end we played a little better with the serve I think and now it’s a great feeling to stay in the main draw and we’re very happy,” said Gerson.
The Swiss team, in their first year on the FIVB World Tour together met Humana-Paredes/Wheelan from Canada in round two, who are in their third FIVB World Tour event of 2018 after competing in Shepparton and Oman. Both Humana-Paredes and Heidrich have their sisters playing in the main draw in Xiamen, Melissa Humana-Paredes and Joana Heidrich.
Adrian Heidrich and Mirco Gerson from Switzerland in their second round qualification match against Felipe Humana-Paredes and Cameron Wheelan from Canada With both teams having relatively smooth morning matches to reach round two, it was Heidrich/Gerson who broke away in the second set to secure the main draw position in Xiamen.
“It’s a great feeling, we won the second set, I think to eight. For us it’s the second main draw qualification this year and together as a team and it’s great,” said Heidrich.
“The first set we were a little bit nervous I think, also they were playing a bit better with the side-out. And in the second set we just served and made our breaks and up to eight it was clear. After we were completely free with 7-0 switch, I mean you’re feeling free,” said Gerson.
Adrian Heidrich
and Mirco Gerson from Switzerland in their second round qualification
match against Felipe Humana-Paredes and Cameron Wheelan from Canada “For us our aim was really the main draw qualification, because we did it in Doha and after too bad one-star tournament and now we’re come here and we want to play our best volleyball and it’s nice that it works so good,” said Heidrich.
“Now we will just go game for game, now we play against the best in the world. We are a young and new team, just play and have fun, give our best and we will see,” said Gerson.
Youssef Krou and Quincy Aye from France had a battle on their hands in their quest for the main draw against Raurich Adrian Ignacio Carambula and Pasquale from Italy, finally closing after 53 minutes, 2-1 (21-19, 30-28, 15-13).
The Swiss and French teams enter the main draw alongside the other six qualifying teams; Mariusz Prudel and Jakub Szalankiewicz from Poland, USA’s Ryan Doherty and William Allen, Christiaan Varenhorst and Jasper Bouter from the Netherlands, Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner from Czech Republic, Bayard Sergio Reynaldo Gonzalez and Nadir Diaz Gomez Nivaldo from Cuba and Norway’s Anders Berntsen Mol and Christian Sandlie Sørum.
In the women’s tournament, Kim Behrens and Sandra Ittlinger from Germany overcame Amaranta Navarro Fernandez and Angela Lobato Herrero from Spain to enter into Xiamen main draw with a straight sets win, 2-0 (21-16, 21-18).
The German pair who finished fifth in The Hague four-star event this year, entered the qualification in top spot giving them a ticket straight into the second round.
Kim Behrens and Sandra Ittlinger from Germany defeat Amaranta Navarro Fernandez and Angela Lobato Herrero from Spain to enter main drawAmaranta/Lobata had earlier defeated Michelle Sharon Valiente Amarilla and Erika Sofia Mongelos Bobadilla from Paraguay in their first round match, 2-1 (15-21, 21-10, 15-8), but the German team snatched the second round win for the main draw spot.
“We’re feeling pretty good, we know the Spanish team from some practice camps, so it was like a little bit of a special game for us to go into the main draw, but now we’re really happy. We had a good start to year I think and we keep going,” said Behrens.
“Like Kim said we have been in the training camp together with the Spanish team and I think both teams had a good start and we made a few really good points and then we were like five points ahead and we finished until the end. The second set was similar bit then we got a little nervous at the end so they equalised, but 21-18, that won the set and we are happy,” said Ittlinger.
Now into the main draw, Behrens/Ittlinger have their sights set further than pool play.
“For sure we want to go to the main draw. We are normally not that low ranked in the main draw, but we are the fourth team of Germany so we had to go through the qualification, we are seeded one. Our last tournament was the five-star in Fort Lauderdale and we came ninth, so nothing behind this would be good, so for sure we want to go top ten and just make a good job,” said Behrens.
Lithuania’s Ieva Dumbauskaite and Monika Povilaityte dig deep to enter Xiamen Open main draw
Lithuania’s Ieva Dumbauskaite and Monika Povilaityte produced an upset defeating Lena Plesiutschnig and Katharina Schutzenhofer from Austria in a tense tie-break, 2-1 (19-21, 21-16, 19-17). Dumbauskaite/ Povilaityte are joined in the main draw by Azusa Futami and Akiko Hasegawa from Japan, Laura Calouri and Dunja Gerson from Switzerland, Madalein Meppelink and Sanne Keizer from the Netherlands, Ingrid Lunde and Oda Johanne Ulveseth from Norway, USA’s Kelley Larsen and Emily Stockman and USA's Kelly Claes and Brittany Hochevar.