Jinjiang Two-Star
- Jinjiang, China
- May 31- June 3, 2018
- Schedule/Results
Second seeded Americans Trevor Crabb/John Mayer grabbed their second FIVB gold medal of the year, besting Germany’s No. 3 Nils Ehlers/Lorenz Schumann for the Jinjiang Two-Star title on Sunday.
The gold follows the duo’s top podium finish at the Lucerne Three Star on May 13. The Americans had to fight for the title, however, playing tiebreak matches in both the semifinals and the championship match. First, the team bested China’s No. 5 seed Gao Peng/Li Yang 21-12, 17-21, 15-11, then the pair hung on for a 21-13, 18-21, 17-15 win over Ehlers/Schumann.
In the final, Crabb/Mayer went up 7-4 only to see the Germans rally to tie it up at 8-all. The Americans earned the first match-point try at 14-12 but an Ehlers block tied it up again at 14. In the end, Mayer downed back to back kills to capture the gold.
With the silver medal, Ehlers/Schumann achieved their best FIVB finish as a duo, topping a fifth-place effort at the Qinzhou Three Star in October. The pair defeated countrymen Max Betzien/Jonathan Erdmann, the No. 11 seed, in the semis.
Gao/Li went on to earn the bronze with a straight set victory of Betzien/Erdmann, for their first FIVB World Tour medal of any kind.
On the women’s side, it was an all Asian final with No. 4 Sayaka Mizoe/Suzuka Hashimoto (Japan) topping qualifiers Kou Nai-Han/Liu Pi Hsin (Chinese Taipei) for the gold.
Mizoe/Hashimoto earning their second straight gold and third straight podium finish following a gold at the Tuan Chau Island One Star May 12 and silver at the Phnom Penh Two Star on May 6. The pair played its first tiebreak match of the weekend in the final, winning 21-13, 19-21, 15-5.
With the silver, Kou/Liu earned the first ever podium finish for Chinese Taipei.
Japan’s No. 9 Chiyo Suzuki/Reika Murakami bested Americans Aurora Davis/Bree Scarbrough 21-12, 22-20 for the bronze. Davis/Scarbrough battled in Set 2, coming back from an 18-16 deficit, before succumbing in extra points.
Suzuki/Murakami achieved their best FIVB World Tour finish, topping a fifth-place effort at the Langkawi One Star in April and Shepparton One Star in February. Scarbrough/Davis were coming off a gold medal at the Bangkok Open on May 13.
Men’s Bronze – Gao/Li (China) def. Betzien/Erdmann (Germany) 21-16, 21-11
Men’s Gold – Crabb/Mayer (USA) def. Ehlers/Schumann (Germany)21-13, 18-21, 17-15
Women’s Bronze –Suzuki/Murakami (Japan) def. Scarbrough/Davis (USA) 21-12, 22-20
Women’s Gold – Mizoe/Hashimoto (Japan) def. Kou/Liu (Chinese Taipei) 21-13, 19-21, 15-5
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