TEENS SNATCH QIDONG FUTURES GOLD

Duos from China, Latvia, Thailand, Japan and Germany make Beach Pro Tour podiums in China

Triumphant Liepa & Puskundzis (source: Beachvolleylv)

19-year-old Latvians Toms Liepa & Ernests Puskundzis picked up the men’s gold at the Qidong Futures stop on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour that came to a conclusion on Sunday in China. Another 19-year-old, Zhou Mingli, and her 20-year-old partner Yan Xu delighted the home crowd with the women’s trophy. 

Thailand’s Dunwinit Kaewsai & Banlue Nakprakhong and Germany’s Niklas Held & Hennes Jorge Nissen took the men’s silver and bronze, respectively, while China’s Jiang Kaiyue & Yu Tong and Japan’s Asami Shiba & Saki Maruyama completed an all-Asian women’s podium.

Fifth-seeded Toms Liepa & Ernests Puskundzis started the tournament with a loss in their first pool match, but then picked up speed and achieved five consecutive victories on the way to the gold, dropping only a set in their 2-1 (21-19, 11-21, 15-12) final against seventh-seeded Dunwinit Kaewsai & Banlue Nakprakhong. In the semifinals, the Latvian team mastered a 2-0 (21-11, 21-12) win over 10th-seeded Bence Tari & Akos Veress of Hungary. The Qidong gold was Liepa & Puskundzis’ first on the Beach Pro Tour and second overall medal, after the Nuvali Futures bronze in April.

Liepa & Puskundzis celebrate on top of the podium (source: Beachvolleylv)

In the other semifinal, Dunwinit & Banlue produced a 2-1 (17-21, 21-19, 15-12) comeback against 13th-seeded German qualifiers Niklas Held & Hennes Jorge Nissen and secured a podium spot at their Beach Pro Tour debut as a pair. It was Dunwinit’s second medal, after he earned another silver at the Subic Bay Futures in 2022. The set they lost in the semifinal was the only one the Thai duo dropped in the four consecutive matches won on the way to the gold medal game.

22-year-old Held and 19-year-old Nissen earned their first-ever Tour podium after a 2-0 (21-18, 21-13) sweep of the bronze medal match against Tari & Veress.

Zhou Mingli & Yan Xu collected their third gold and fourth overall medal on the Beach Pro Tour. All three of the previous podiums were also earned in front of home crowds in China. The top-seeded duo that also triumphed at the Qidong Futures in 2022, won all five of their matches in this week’s tournament, losing only two sets along the way. In the semifinals, Zhou & Yan mastered a 2-0 (21-9, 21-8) win over 14th-seeded compatriots Wang Jing & Liang Yunjia, and in the battle for the gold, they celebrated a 2-1 (21-16, 11-21, 15-12) victory over another pair of 19-year-old Chinese athletes, 10th-seeded Jiang Kaiyue & Yu Tong.

By claiming the silver, Jiang followed up on the second place she earned at her previous Tour appearance with another partner at the Wuhan Qingshan Futures in May. For Yu, the Qidong silver was the first Beach Pro Tour medal of her career. In their semifinal, Jiang & Yu battled their way to a 2-1 (27-25, 16-21, 15-11) victory over fourth-seeded Shiba & Maruyama, thus completing a four-match winning streak on the way to the podium.

The Japanese pair bounced back with a hard-fought 2-1 (23-21, 18-21, 15-12) win over Wang & Liang to earn their second Beach Pro Tour bronze.

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26 men’s and 25 women’s teams representing a total of 17 different countries took part in the Qidong Futures. Next week, China will welcome another Beach Pro Tour event, the Qingdao Futures from September 12 to 15. There will also be a Futures event in Bujumbura, Burundi from September 11 to 14.

Qidong Futures: results and standings

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