Langkawi, Malaysia, April 29, 2018 – Austria’s Simon Fruhbauer/Jorg Wutzl earned their first ever FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour gold medal at the Langkawi Open 1-star at Pantai Cenang on Sunday.
Fruhbauer/Wutzl ended the unbeaten run of Russia’s Petr Bakhnar/Taras Myskiv with a 2-1 (21-15, 18-21, 15-13) win in the gold medal match and held out to extend their own undefeated record in Langkawi to seven wins since the qualification round.
The Austrians got off to a strong start, winning the first set 21-15, but the Russians refused to give up and equalised with a 21-18 win in the second set. The tie-break set went down to the wire, as the Russians successfully trailed the Austrians and tied the score at 13-all. The Austrians eventually recovered and sealed the match with two attack winners.
The Langkawi 1-star is Fruhbauer/Wutzl’s first World Tour gold medal out of nine events. The Austrian pair has been playing together since 2016.
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In the bronze medal match I. Nuttanon/P. Sedtawat played excellent defence against Becker/Stadie, as they charged ahead with a 21-13 win in the opening frame. The Germans fought hard to contain the Thais in the middle of the second set, but the latter managed to pull away with well-placed attacks, securing the bronze medal at 21-16.
Earlier, Bakhnar/Myskiv and Fruhbauer/Wutzl marched into the finals with convincing semifinal wins. The Russian duo denied I. Nuttanon/P. Sedtawat of a back-to-back World Tour 1-star final appearance when they logged 21-17 wins in both frames, while Fruhbauer/Wutzl overpowered Becker/Stadie 2-0 (21-13, 21-14).