Germany`s Jonas Reinhardt and Robin Sowa lead a determined group of international teams, battling through intense qualification rounds to secure their spots in the Nuvali Challenge main draw.
Jonas Reinhardt and Robin Sowa of Germany, initially the lowest-seeded team, navigated a formidable path through Wednesday’s men’s qualifiers to clinch a coveted spot in Thursday’s main draw at the Nuvali Challenge on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour. Their demanding journey was marked by two hard-fought victories against strong adversaries. They now stand alongside pairs from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, France, Latvia, and the USA, all of whom successfully advanced through the rigorous qualification process in the Philippines.
As the 20th seed in the 24-team qualification bracket, Reinhardt & Sowa initiated their campaign with an impressive 2-1 comeback (17-21, 21-17, 15-8) against the 13th-seeded Canadian team of Guillaume Rivest & Tynan Gannett. Robin Sowa played a pivotal role, delivering a match-high 30 points, which included three crucial kill blocks and an ace. In the second qualification round, the German duo showcased their resilience, prevailing through an epic first set against fourth-seeded Spaniards Nathan Matos & Pablo Perez before sealing a 2-0 (30-28, 21-16) victory, earning their passage to the main draw. Sowa once again emerged as the top scorer, contributing 19 points, notably with four blocks. Entering the 32-team main draw as the 32nd seed, Reinhardt & Sowa are set for a challenging opening match against top-seeded Austrians Christoph Dressler & Philipp Waller on Thursday.
The French pairing of Keran Duval & Arthur Canet also demonstrated their prowess by securing two qualification wins on Wednesday. The 15th-seeded Frenchmen achieved a swift 2-0 (21-16, 21-14) victory over 18th-seeded Australians Solomon Bushby & Jed Walker. They then followed up with a convincing 2-0 (21-17, 21-13) upset against the second-seeded Spanish duo, Alvaro Viera & Antonio Saucedo.
Similarly, Belgium’s 11th-seeded Kyan Vercauteren & Joppe Van Langendonck achieved two decisive straight-set wins in the qualifiers: a 2-0 (21-17, 21-16) triumph over 22nd-seeded Indonesians Danangsyah Pribadi & Yosi Firnanda, and another 2-0 (21-16, 21-16) victory against the sixth-seeded Turkish pair Yusuf Ozdemir & Batuhan Kuru. Latvia’s 10th-seeded Ardis Bedritis & Arturs Rinkevics also delivered strong performances, shutting out 23rd-seeded Nodirjon Alekseev & Dilshodbek Tolibaev of Uzbekistan with a 2-0 (21-13, 21-16) score, and then repeating the feat against seventh-seeded Canadians Robert Kemp & Cameron Chadwick with a 2-0 (21-13, 23-21) win.
The four other successful qualifiers, adhering to their higher seedings, advanced after receiving first-round byes and winning their single matches on Wednesday. Three of these teams, however, were pushed to their limits in grueling three-set battles. Top-seeded Americans Hagen Smith & Logan Webber showcased their tenacity by coming from a set down to secure a narrow 2-1 (19-21, 24-22, 16-14) victory over 17th-seeded Florian Breer & Luc Fluckiger of Switzerland. Likewise, fifth-seeded Australians Ben Hood & Oliver Merritt pulled off a 2-1 (19-21, 21-19, 15-11) comeback win against Canada’s 12th-seeded Luke de Greeff & Martin Licht. Eighth-seeded Brazilians Gabriel Dos Reis Santiago & Felipe Alves Pereira also mounted a 2-1 (20-22, 21-6, 15-10) turnaround against ninth-seeded Daniel Moreno & Roberto Sanfelix of Spain. The third-seeded Australian duo, D`Artagnan Potts & Jack Pearse, efficiently completed their qualification without dropping a set, securing a 2-0 (21-16, 21-15) win against 14th-seeded Frederick Bialokoz & Issa Batrane of England.
The main draw action for the men’s competition at the Nuvali Challenge is set to kick off on Thursday at 08:30 local time (00:30 UTC).
Oliver Wrenwick