Serbians Klasnic and Kolaric claim Balikesir gold

Serbians Djordje Klasnic and Lazar Kolaric took Europe to the top of the podium in another Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures event in the continent with their victory at this week’s tournament in Balikesir, Türkiye. Spanish Tania Moreno and Daniela Alvarez took bronze among the women.

Klasnic and Kolaric’s victory can be credited to their persistence. The Serbians have played all five Futures in Europe and started each of them in the qualifier. They didn’t advance from the first three and when they did it in Klaipeda, they lost both their pool matches, finishing 13^th.

That sent them back to the qualifiers this week in Balikesir, forcing the Serbians to play and win seven matches in four days to take the title. On Sunday, the 27-year-olds topped New Zealand’s Bradley Fuller and Sam O’Dea in straight sets (21-17, 21-18) to step at the top of the podium at the Ayvalık Sarımsaklı Plajı.

Two other teams from New Zealand met in the bronze medal match, with qualifiers Thomas Hartles and Alani Nicklin defeating Ben O’Dea and Thomas Reid by forfeit to secure bronze.

In the women’s tournament, recently-crowned U22 European champions Moreno and Alvarez took the continent to the podium by winning bronze. The 20-year-olds, who won the continental title last week in the Netherlands, dominated the winners of the Klaipeda Futures, Lithuanians Erika Kliokmanaite and Monika Paulikiene to a straight-set (21-17, 21-16) in the third-place match.

Megan Kraft and Savvy Simo came out on top of the all-American gold medal match after they overcame compatriots Brook Bauer and Katie Horton in two sets (21-17, 21-12).

From Türkiye, the Beach Pro Tour Futures events in Europe now head to the Polish city of Bialystok, which will host a double-gender tournament next week, from June 23-26.