Samsun, Turkey, July 29, 2018 – Eighth-seeded Jindrich Weiss and Donovan Dzavoronok won gold medals in the all-Czech final of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Samsun event on Sunday.
It was a historic first for men's beach volleyball in the Czech Republic. For Dzavoronok, who is a member of the Czech Republic’s volleyball team, it was the debut appearance on the World Tour. Weiss is the more experienced member of the pair, but a 17th place was his best finish so far.
Another Czech pair, third-seeded Marcel Myslivecek and Martin Pihera, took silver, their first medal on the Tour as well. Their best result had been a fifth place at Anapa earlier this year.
Sixteenth-seeded Stefan Boermans and Casper Haanappel, who progressed into the main draw from Thursday’s qualification, crowned their sensational run with the bronze medals. The Samsun event was the two Dutchmen’s first ever appearance on the World Tour.
“We are extremely happy with the result. It is excellent for us. We loved the Turkish crowd, as they are so passionate and enthusiastic,” Boermans said.
The men’s podium at Samsun
In the all-Czech final, Weiss and Dzavoronok clearly dominated the first set and won it by a wide margin. The second was somewhat more competitive, but Weiss and Dzavoronok managed to get the job done in straight sets – 2-0 (21-11, 21-18), hammered out in 36 minutes.
In the bronze medal match, Boermans and Haanappel took on fifth-seeded Austrians Thomas Kunert and Peter Eglseer. The Dutchmen managed an emphatic win of the first set, but the second got extended to overtime, so they had to work hard for the eventual 2-0 (21-14, 22-20) victory.
Both semifinals finished in straight sets. While Weiss and Dzavoronok were claimed theirs 2-0 (21-15, 21-19) over Kunert and Eglseer in 38 minutes, it took Myslivecek and Pihera as many as 50 minutes of play and a second set that ran deep into overtime to fix their 2-0 (21-13, 32-20) victory over Boermans and Haanappel.