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Swatch-FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour 2005 |
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| INFOTE Athens Open:
30 August-4 September |
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latest update:
04/09/2005 22:44 +0300
Latest News:
NEWS ARCHIVE
Brazil Claims Gold
and Bronze at INFOTE Athens Open
Brazil's Ricardo Santos and Emanuel Rego returned to the scene of
their 2004 Olympic triumph, to win the gold medal in the INFOTE Athens
Open of the Swatch-FIVB World Tour, which concluded at the Olympic Beach
Volleyball Centre of the Greek capital, Sunday evening.
The Brazilians, defeated Switzerland's Markus Egger and Martin Laciga
2-0 (21-14, 26-24), to earn $32,000 in prize
money. The Swiss share $22,000.
Brazil's Benjamin and Harley defeated Australia's Andrew Schacht
and Joshua Slack 2-0 (24-22, 21-19), to win the bronze medal and $16,000
in prize money.
Ricardo was voted Most Valuable Player of the INFOTE Athens Open,
to claim the Swatch Most Outstanding Player award.
MEN'S MAIN
DRAW RESULTS
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Κατερίνα Νικολαϊδου: To
ταχύτερο σερβίς του 2005.
Photo: ActionImages.
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Katerina Nikolaidou
Clocks Fastest Serve
Katerina Nikolaidou, who ranked 13th with teammate Fenia
Papageorgiou in the Swatch-FIVB World Tour INFOTE Athens Open, was
clocked by Swiss Timing with the fastest serve of the tournament, at
83.8 kilometres per hour. The speed brings Greece's Queen of the Beach
to the top of this season's rankings, as she bettered the 82.0 kph serve
of Germany's Sara Goller at the Stavanger Grand Slam. Goller
had also clocked an 81.2 kph service at the World Championships in
Berlin, for third place in the rankings. Brazil's Ana Paula is fourth
with an 81.1 kph serve at the Klagenfurt Grand Slam. The second fastest
service of the INFOTE Athens Open came from Ana Paula, clocked at 80.3
kph.
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Vasso
Karadassiou lies disappointed on the sand. The Greek player lost
the medal, but was named MVP of the INFOTE Athens Open.
Photo: ActionImages.
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VASSO KARADASSIOU
NAMED MVP
Vasso Karadassiou was voted the Most Valuable Player of the
Swatch-FIVB Word Tour INFOTE Athens Open. The
32-year-old Greek had also been named MVP had also been named MVP in the
2002 Open in Rhodes, where she had won a bronze medal with Efi Sfyri.
It was the third such distinction for Greece this season. Vicky Arvaniti
had been named MVP at the Stavanger Grand Slam (together with the gold
medal) and Thalia Koutroumanidou had been named MVP at the Espinho Open
(with the silver medal).
Ribeiro / Antunes
Clinch Gold in Athens!
Brazil's Renata Ribeiro and Talita Antunes came back from one set
down and 12-14 in the tie-break, to beat fellow Brazilians Juliana
Felisberta Silva and Larissa França 2-1 (18-21, 21-16, 17-15), to win
the gold medal of the Swatch-FIVB World Tour INFOTE Athens Open. The
winners share $32,000, with the losers getting $22,000.
WOMEN'S
MAIN DRAW RESULTS
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Vicky Arvaniti in the third-place play-off of the INFOTE Athens Open.
Photo: ActionImages.
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Greece Remains Fourth
in INFOTE Athens Open
Vasso Karadassiou and Vicky Arvaniti failed to repeat the success
of 2002 in Rhodes (when Karadassiou, together with Efi Sfyri had
defeated the same Brazilians in the semi-finals) and lost 1-2 (18-21,
26-24, 11-15) to Adriana Behar and Shelda in the bronze medal match of
the Swatch-FIVB World Tour INFOTE Athens Open, which concludes at the
Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre of Athens, Sunday night.
The Greeks allowed the Brazilians an early three-point lead in the first
set, but managed to catch up by 12-12. Still, a
sideout, an ace by Adriana and an attack by Arvaniti on the net brought
the Brazilians ahead again by three (12-15). Adriana and Shelda widened
the gap to four (15-19), before finishing it off 18-21.
Karadassiou and Arvaniti took the initiative in the second set, leading
by as much as three (13-10 and 16-13) and reached their 19th point with
two points to spare. But Adriana and Shelda tied the score at 19-all,
turning the match into a cliff-hanger. Greece was first at set-point,
but had to cancel three Brazilian match-balls, before clinching the set
on an ace by Arvaniti on Shelda, on Greece's third set-ball.
The tie-break was a one-sided Brazilian affair, with Adriana and Shelda
quickly breaking away by four, at 2-6, leaving the Greeks out of breath
and trying to catch up. With almost no more variations in the score,
Adriana Behar and Shelda clinched the game 11-15.
The Greeks share $12,000 in prize money, with
Adriana and Shelda taking $16,000.
The INFOTE Athens Open concludes Sunday
evening, with the men's finals, at 20:00 for the bronze and 21:00 for
the gold.
WOMEN'S
MAIN DRAW RESULTS
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Vasso Karadassiou in the semi-final of the
INFOTE Athens Open.
Photo: ActionImages.
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Karadassiou and
Arvaniti Still Out for the Bronze!
Vasso Karadassiou and Vicky Arvaniti succumbed to the pressure
and failed to present any counterbalance to a faultless Brazilian team
of Renata Ribeiro and Talita Antunes in the semi-finals of the Swatch-FIVB
World Tour INFOTE Athens Open, which continues at the Olympic Beach
Volleyball Centre in Athens. The reigning European champions blew a
great chance to clinch the first set, when they dropped a set-ball at
20-19, and eventually lost to the Brazilians 0-2 (21-23, 19-21), despite
the support of an almost 6,000-strong sellout crowd.
Still, the Greeks will be present on Centre Court, Saturday evening,
when they vie for the bronze medal, at 21:00 hours, against Brazil's
Adriana Behar and Shelda, the same team that Karadassiou and Efi Sfyri
had defeated in the semi-finals of the 2002 Rhodes Open, where they went
on to win the bronze medal.
It is the third Final Four
appearance for Karadassiou and Arvaniti this season in the
Swatch-FIVB World Tour. They have already won a silver medal in Milan
and a gold in Stavanger. Karadassiou also owns the bronze medal from the
2002 Rhodes Open.
In the men's tournament, Thanassis
Michalopoulos and Manos Xenakis scored two amazing victories in the
losers' bracket, defeating Austria's Robert Nowotny / Peter Gartmayer
2-0 (21-19, 25-23) and Russia's Dmitir Barsouk / Roman Arkaev 2-1
(21-18, 15-21, 20-18). Eventually, they fell to Austria's Nikolas Berger
/ Clemens Doppler 0-2 (18-21, 16-21), to rank 9th and share $6,000. For
both Greeks this is a career high.
The INFOTE Athens Open continues Saturday
with the men's quarter- and semi-finals and women's finals and concludes Sunday with
the men's finals.
MEN'S MAIN
DRAW RESULTS
WOMEN'S
MAIN DRAW RESULTS
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Η
Βίκυ
Αρβανίτη σε φάση εναντίον της Ολλανδίας, Πέμπτη πρωΐ στις
Τζιτζιφιές.
Photo: ActionImages.
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GREECE IN THE SEMIS!
With a thrilling finale, Vasso Karadassiou and Vicky Arvaniti
qualified to the semi-finals of the Swatch-FIVB World Tour INFOTE Athens
Open, which continues at the Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre of Athens.
The reigning European Champions came close to thrashing Brazil's
Felsiberta Silva and Larissa França, currently ranked number one in the
world, when they clinched the first set and 21-14 and led 18-14 in the
second. But the Brazilians reacted, and the Greeks allowed them six
straight, almost uncontested points, to make the score 18-20. Brazil
eventually clinched the final point, to force the match into a
tie-break.
Showing remarkable concentration and reducing their unforced errors to a
minimum, Karadassiou and Arvaniti kept in touch in the score in the
third set and scored the decisive points to reach match-ball at 14-11
and clinch the game 15-12, as 4,000 fans erupted in joy at the Olympic
Beach Volleyball Centre. Final score 2-1 (21-14, 19-21, 15-12) in 60
minutes.
It was the third victory of Karadassiou and
Arvaniti in seven matches this season against Felisberta Silva and França.
The Greeks had scored their two previous victories at the Stavanger
Grand Slam, once in Round IV (as on Thursday in Athens) and once more in
the final, where they won the gold medal.
Karadassiou and Arvaniti now take a breath, as they await their
semi-final opponents, who will emerge from Friday morning's matchs. The
semi-final will start on Centre Court at 21:00, on Friday evening.
Katerina Nikolaidou and Fenia Papageorgiou,
who were continuing in the losers' bracket, scored an impressive victory
2-0 (21-15, 21-19) over Australia's Kylie Kerlic and Angela Clarke, but
then lost their next match 0-2 (18-21, 19-21) to Switzerland's Simone
Kuhn and Lea Schwer. Nikolaidou and Papageorgiou finished 13th in the
final ranking and share $4,500.
In the men's competition, Thanassis Michalopoulos and Manos Xenakis
scored an opening round victory 2-1 (16-21, 24-22, 15-13) over Japan's
Kentaro Asahi and Satoshi Watanabe, but then dropped their second-round
game to Spain's Javier Bosma and Alex Ortiz 0-2 (16-21,
13-21). The Greek pair, however, continues in the losers' bracket, where
they next play Austria's Robert Nowotny and Peter Gartmayer, Friday
morning.
The other two Greek men's teams in the competition,
finished 25th, suffering defeats in their opening matches. Panagiotis
Mourtzios / Giorgos Knapek lost 0-2 (10-21, 10-21) to Brazil's Marcio
Araujo / de Jesus Magalhães and then again 0-2 (10-21, 12-21) to
Portugal's Luis Maia and João
Brenha. Dimitris Neratzis and Costas Tabouratzis lost 0-2 (23-25, 18-21)
to Estonia's Kristian Kais and Martin Ruul and again 0-2 (13-21, 19-21)
to Austria's Robert Nowotny and Peter Gartmayer.
MEN'S MAIN
DRAW RESULTS
WOMEN'S
MAIN DRAW RESULTS
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Vasso
Karadassiou in opening day action against China.
Photo: ActionImages.
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Karadassiou /
Arvaniti Through to Round III
Scoring two opening-day victories, Vasso Karadassiou and Vicky
Arvaniti have moved through to Round III of the Swatch-FIVB World Tour
INFOTE Athens Open, at the Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre in Athens.
The reigning European champions shut out China's Ju Zhang and Jingting
Zhang 2-0 (21-08, 21-12) and then edged Cuba's Dalixia Fernandez Grasset
and Tamara Larrea Peraza 2-1 (21-19, 15-21, 15-13).
Their next opponent will be Holland's Rebekka
Kadijk and Merel Mooren, whom Karadassioy and Arvaniti had defeated
twice last week in the European Championships, including a straight-set
victory in the final.
The reigning Greek champions, Thalia Koutroumanidou and Maria
Tsiartsiani suffered two unexpected defeats, 1-2
(19-21, 21-13, 13-15) to Austria's Christina Gschweidl and Barbara
Hansel, and then again 0-2 (20-22, 19-21) to Austria's Doris Schweiger
and Stefanie Schweiger. The Greeks finished 25th, their worst placing in
the 2005 Swatch-FIVB World Tour, and share $2,000 in prize money.
But Katerina Nikolaidou and Fenia
Ppaageorgiou, continue in the competition, despite an opening-match loss
0-2 (14-21, 14-21) to Brazil's Adriana Behar and Shelda. The Greeks
scored a losers' bracket victory over France's Virginie Kadjo and
Ethel-Julie Arjona 2-1 (13-21, 23-21, 15-11), to stay alive in the
tournament.
Finally, Georgia Terzoglou and Photini
Tsantopoulou, who qualified to the Main Draw through the Qualification
Tournament, suffered two defeats, 0-2 (16-21, 16-21) to Brazil's
Felisberta Silva / França and 0-2 (12-21, 17-21) to Italy's Dileta
Lunardi and Luccilla Perrotta. Terzoglou and Tsantopoulou ranked 25th
and share $2,000.
WOMEN'S
MAIN DRAW RESULTS
All three Greek Team
in Men's Qualification Tournament Eliminated
Suffering three defeats in as many matches, all three Greek teams
in the Men's Qualification Tournament of the Swatch-FIVB World Tour
INFOTE Athens Open have been eliminated. Manolis Dimitriadis / Dimitris
Niopas lost to Holland's Emiel Boersma / Michiel Boersma 1-2 (21-14,
20-22, 18-20), Giorgos Petreas / Pavlos Kouzounis lost to Austria's
Florina Gosch / Bernhradt Strauss 0-2 (11-21, 19-21) and Giorgos Giatsis
/ Elias Zolastathiadis lost to Italy's Eugio Amore / Riccardo Fenili 1-2
(21-15, 13-21, 10-15). All three Greek teams finished 41st.
MEN'S QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT
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Georgia
Terzoglou rejoices for her qualification to the Main Draw, in
front of teammate
Photini
Tsantopoulou.
Photo: ActionImages.
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Greece Gets Fourth
Team in Main Draw
Georgia Terzoglou and Photini Tsantopoulou came back from one set
down and then again from 11-13 in the tie-break, to rally for four
straight points (of which the last two, aces by Terzoglou),
to defeat Austria's Christian Gschweidl and
Barbara Hansel 2-1 (17-21, 21-17, 15-13) and qualify to the Main Draw of
the 2005 Swatch-FIVB World Tour INFOTE Athens Open. Earlier in the day,
the 17-year-olds had defeated their fellow-Greeks Pola Kitsou and
Marianna Chounta 2-1 (16-21, 21-18, 16-14) in the opening round of the
Qualification Tournament.
The third Greek team in the Qualification Tournament, Fei Michou and
Mara Lazaridou, lost to Australia's Natalie Frostick and Johannah
Rohkamper 0-2 (19-21, 15-21) and were eliminated.
The Main Draw in Athens begins Wednesday morning.
WOMEN'S QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT
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