The best men in beach volleyball take to the sand on Thursday as the main draw begins. From the world champions to the world number ones, the men’s tournament will see every team play twice.
Plus there’s also the women’s first elimination round! Put it like this, there’s a lot of top action on the Danube Island to watch on Thursday. Luckily for you, we’ve selected five of the best to get you in the mood!
Enjoy!
Who? Alison/Alvaro v Brunner/Priddy
When? 9.30am CEST
Where? Court 3
Why? Why not head to side court 3 when you enter the venue and check out an interesting Brazil v USA clash between two Olympic champions. Alison won gold on the beach in 2016 while Reid Priddy is an indoor Olympic champion who has switched to beach. The American is making his debut in a main draw at a Major and what a first game it promises to be.
Who? Mol/Sørum v Ermacora/Pristauz
When? 10.30am CEST
Where? Red Bull Beach Arena
Why? There won’t be a spare seat in the house for this one as last year’s champions take on Austria’s next young hopes. Anders and Christian have won their last two tournaments since taking bronze at the world champs but here the home crowd will be against the Vikings as Martin and Moritz aim to cause a big upset.
Who? Bourne/Crabb v Gibb/Crabb
When? 11.30am CEST
Where? Court 2
Why? Two Crabbs on one court, against each other? Yep, it’s the Crabb brothers, Trevor and Taylor go head-to-head in an all-American clash on court 2. It’s definitely worth getting along to the sidecourts for this one.
Who? Doppler/Horst v Heidrich/Gerson
When? 12.30pm CEST
Where? Red Bull Beach Arena
Why? The Silverboys are back in town. Doppler and Horst return to the Danube Island, the scene of their career highlight in 2017 – runners-up at the World Championships – for another crack at Vienna Major glory. Standing in their way in their pool opener are Swiss pair Adrian and Mirco – a team that have beaten the Austrians in all three of their previous meetings. Can Clemens and Alex stop the rot in front of their home fans?
Who? Plesiutschnig/Schützenhöfer v Strbova/Dubovcova
When? 2.30pm CEST
Where? Red Bull Beach Arena
Why? The sole remaining Austrian women’s team have a fight on their hands in their elimination match as Lena and Kathi face in-form Slovaks Andrea and Natalia. The Slovakian duo finished a fantastic fifth in Gstaad in the last Major have already beaten their Austrian opponents twice this season. The winners face another tough test… Melissa and Sarah, the reigning World Champs in the round of 16.
