All-European men’s podium at Xiamen Open

Xiamen, China, October 11, 2014.  Youssef Krou / Edouard Rowlandson from France claimed their first ever FIVB medal winning the final of the 2014 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Xiamen Open to top an all-European men’s podium in China.

The French pair beat Spain’s Francisco Alfredo Marco / Christian Garcia by 2:1 (22-20, 19-21, 15-12) in a final that kept everyone guessing until the very end.  It was the two teams' third meeting of the year with Marco / García undefeated against the Frenchmen entering the gold medal match.

“We knew they are good and they knew that we are good, so it was a rough game,” said Krou.

“We felt physically good, but we could feel that our opponents were trying hard so it was going to turn at some point for one or the other and we managed to grab it,” added Rowlandson.

Krou / Rowlandson had the slight edge in the first set, but it was not long before Garcia began to pull out some impressive returns and even more impressive blocks to bring the score from 14-16 up to 20-20.  An unfortunate Spanish smash into the net handed the Frenchmen the first set.  The second set saw a number of long rallies with well controlled three touch play from both sides.  By the midway point Marco / Garcia had given themselves a four point lead at 14-10, with flawless spikes down the line from Garcia.  The Spanish pair retained the lead to end the set with a gently placed ball into the center of the court.  With the gold medal within reach for each team, the third set was the closest.  Krou / Rowlandson gained the advantage at 6-3 helped along by a huge Rowlandson smash and began to put the pressure on Marco / Garcia.  Two huge blocks in a row by Garcia brought the score to a level 8-8 and the stakes were again evened.  A couple of confident smashes by Krou were followed by a nervous serve that fell long, but the French pair had gained the upper hand and victory was theirs with a final block at the net.  

“Right now we are feeling really tired, but it feels so good,” said Rowlandson.  “We always say before a tournament that you need seven games to win, but we did it and we are feeling proud.  Even though we know a lot of the big teams were not here, when you have an opportunity like that, it is difficult to get them and so we are really pleased.”

Rowlandson has been playing on the FIVB World Tour since 2012, but started 2014 with new partner Krou who is new to the tour this year.

“We started the season quite late and we are a completely new team so for us there is a lot of work behind it and a lot of investment.  It makes us want to work even harder for next year and the year after to go to the Olympics,” said Rowlandson.

Spain’s Francisco Alfredo Marco / Christian Garcia first played together at the Junior World Championship in 2005, but did not re-join forces until 2011 when they became regular faces on the FIVB World Tour.  The pair finished fifth at the Anapa Open this year, but the silver in Xiamen is their first FIVB medal.

“We do not feel good now, but the result is very, very good.  We just lost and we are very tired, but we must remember the result and enjoy the ceremony.  In the season this is the third time we played France and the other times we won, but each match is different.  They played really well,” said Garcia.

To reach the final, Marco / García had first faced USA’s Theodore Brunner / John Mayer in the morning semifinal.  Brunner’s towering presence at the net paired with Mayer’s unfailing ability to find the clear space on the opposing court, gave the Spanish pair a hard fight.  The match appeared to be heading for a third set until Garcia pulled not one, but three giant identical block points in a row to guarantee the Spaniards a medal with a 2:0 (21-18, 21-19) win.

“The match against USA was very hard, they are a very good team, but finally we did three blocks to finish the match,” said Garcia.

“This morning was very hard, but for me it is a great result.  I enjoyed the tournament and the travel.  The result is very important to me and my family so I am really happy,” said Marco.

The bronze medal match was down to Russia’s Nikita Liamin / Dmitri Barsouk and USA's Brunner / Mayer.  Liamin’s two-meter stature met Brunner at the net and in the first set it was even all the way.  The score lay at 18-18 before USA let the set slip after an unforced error quickly turned into 21-18 to Liamin / Barsouk.

The Russians came out strongly in the second set and with both Liamin and Barsouk equipped with a powerful spiking arm, they were six points ahead by the midway point.  Brunner saved match point with a perfect smash straight down the line, but the next point was Russia’s and the bronze medal went to Liamin / Barsouk at 2:0 (21-18, 21-15).

“Everything in the match was under our control.  The US team was a little bit tired, the tall blocker was slow and we received the chance and used it,” said Barsouk.

“We were sure that we would win, we were not nervous, everything was under control.  After the first set, after I saw my young partner felt good and after a few balls I said OK, we will win this match and everything will be good.  We blocked really well, we won five blocks in this game.  It is a good result for the two sets, so the block is one of our strongest points,” said Barsouk.

Barsouk is well versed on the World Tour but recently returned after a long absence from injury.  He is back at the end of 2014 with new partner Liamin who has just made the transition from indoor volleyball.

“For our team, each medal is important, but this medal is super important because Liamin is a new player.  He never played on the beach.  It is his first season after playing indoor.  For me it is also an important win for the bronze medal because I missed the last three years because of my shoulder injury, so this medal is a great comeback,” said Barsouk.

Click here for more info on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Xiamen Open.