2023-06-23 13:42:21
In the best possible way, the duo of Koos Dimitris Hatzinikolaou and teammate Stavros Dalla started their competitive duties on the main board of the “Beach Pro Tour Ios Futures”, as they beat Williams and Danilo in the premiere of the 3rd group.
The announcement issued by the EEA for information states the following:
“The international duo of Dalla and Hatzinikolaou celebrated the only Greek victory in the context of the premiere of the Men’s groups at the Beach Pro Tour Ios Futures in Ios and took the first step towards qualifying for the quarterfinals.
In the 1st match of the 3rd group, the team of the National Planning of the Hellenic Volleyball Federation, Dallas and Hatzinikolaou, justified the title of the champions of the “Ios Major 2023”, which they won a few days ago, again here, on the beautiful beach of Mylopotas .
Although “newbies” in the FIVB World Beach Pro Tour tournament, our international players entered the match without stress and despite the resistance they put up in the second set, the South Africans Williams and Danilo prevailed 2-0 (21-12, 23 -21) and initially securing their place in the 12th and took the first step towards qualification to the 8th.
”It is our first victory in a world tournament and we are very happy. We faced two huge bodies, the truth is that we struggled a lot because of the wind, I think we managed it better. With this victory we have secured our place in the round of 12 and we want to finish first in the group in order to go to the quarter-finals” said the international player from Kos, Dimitris Hatzinikolaou.
For his part, Stavros Dallas added the following: “Our opponents were in No. 3 on the table, we were in No. 14, but we concentrated more on the conditions of the match, we were better, we succeeded and won and we continue…”.
Earlier, the winners of the Grand Slam of the Panhellenic Masters of Thessaloniki, Stelios Tziumakas and Antiol Kola, “looked into the eyes” of the Argentinians No1 on the board, Azaad and Bueno, in the exciting match of the A group.
But despite the combative display of the Greeks and the wonderful spectacle they offered with impressive blocks and defenses, the hard-nosed Argentinians took the details of the tie-break with a 2-1 set victory.
”We fought it with all the strength we had, the conditions here with the wind are very difficult. We have one more chance to qualify for the next phase” said Stelios Tziumakas, while his teammate Adiol Kola, who with 4 defenses in a row raised the stands in the tie-break, emphasized: ”Both teams played very well, our opponents they had a bit more luck in the tiebreak and won.”
In Group B, Ioannidis and Papadimitriou theoretically had the most difficult task, as they faced the winners of last year’s World Tournament in Ios, the Czechs Vercik, V. and Dzavoronok. However, our athletes played their game without stress, but despite the strong resistance they put up, they were finally defeated 2-0 (21-18, 21-18).
”We played the winners of last year’s tournament, an experienced team, but still we fought. We had our chances, the wind made it difficult for us and we expect to play better in the match against the German team to pass to the round of 12.”
“With the left” end, the leading team (No. 4), in the rating of the main scoreboard, the Greek team, of Giorgos Terzoglou and Iasona Kanellos, entered the tournament. The finalists of the Thessaloniki Grand Slam a few days ago gave everything, especially in the 2nd set of the match of the 4th group with the Poles Ciemachowski and Groszek, but in the end they lost 2-0 (21-15, 23-21)”.
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