The tournament reaches its top as the weekend approaches...

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Austrian Clemens Doppler and Qatari Cherif Younousse will cross paths again in Vienna

The A1 Major Vienna presented by Swatch approaches its final portion as the beach volleyball elite enters the fifth day of competition in the Austrian capital on Friday.

With the conclusion of men’s pool play and the women’s Round of 16 set, there will be plenty of action going on in each of the five courts set up at the Danube Island.

Here are the five games we recommend you not to miss!

Who? Mol/Sørum v Semenov/Leshukov

Where? Court 2

When? 10.30am

Why? The Norwegians are the team of the moment having won the latest two most important tournaments, the Swatch Major Gstaad and the Europeans Championships, and have been undefeated in their last 14 games. The Russians, however, are also in good form. They won a bronze medal in Ostrava in June and made it to the semifinals of the Euros just two weeks ago.

Who? Doppler/Horst v Cherif/Tijan

Where? Red Bull Beach Arena

When? 11.30am

Why? The home heroes had a hard-fought victory in their Vienna Major debut and ignited their passionate fans in just their first match. They want to keep moving forward, but to do that they’ll have to beat the crafty Qatari in a packed Red Bull Beach Arena. If you like coincidences, Doppler and Horst have played against Cherif and his former partner Jefferson Pereira last year in the World Championships at the Danube Island.

Who? Maria Antonelli/Carol v Makroguzova/Kholomina

Where? Court 3

When? 12.45pm

Why? The Brazilians have been one of the most consistent teams all season-long, but are yet to win a medal in the Beach Major Series. To get closer to it in Vienna they will have to take down arguably the most surprising team in the tournament, the Russian, which took down the top two teams in the world ranking in Canada’s Wilkerson/Bansley and Pavan/Humana-Paredes. Worth nothing, Antonelli and Carol are ranked third.   

Who? Ross/Klineman v Fendrick/Sponcil

Where? Court 3

When? 2pm

Why? Ross and Fendrick enjoyed a fantastic campaign together on last year’s World Championships marching all the way to the final, where they were only stopped by eventual winners Ludwig and Walkenhorst. They return to the Danube Island with different partners, both of which are playing for the first time in Vienna. Ross and Klineman have been together for almost nine months and won gold in the Hague, but Fendrick and Sponcil have started well in Austria by winning their pool. They’ve met once in the American AVP and Ross/Klineman took the honors that time.

Who? Keizer/Meppelink v Bieneck/Schneider

Where? Court 4

When? 2pm

Why? This is one of those matches where while the record indicates one thing, momentum pushes it in a different direction. The Germans have won all three matches against their opponents here, without even dropping sets, but the Dutch are on a roll after winning the European Championships and having a strong start in Vienna.

You can watch these games and all other live on BeachStream.