Top Seeded Urlu/Mermer of Turkey Headline Aydin Pool Play Winners

Aydin One-Star

• Aydin, Turkey
• May 17-20, 2018
• Schedule/Results

Friday was packed with pool play action at the Aydin One-Star with four men’s teams earning pool titles and eight women’s teams setting up for chances at pool crowns, which will decided early Saturday morning.

On the men’s side, the pool winners represent four different countries led by homestanding and top-seeded Safa Urlu/Hasan Mermer of Turkey. Qualifiers Stefan Basta/Lazar Kolaric of Serbia, the No. 2 seed, No. 4 seed Ruslan Bykanov/Maksim Hudyakov of Russia and No. 6 Martin Applegren/Simon Boman of Sweden rounded out the group.

The Serbs had an interesting road to the Pool B title as their first match was a forfeit due to injury and the second, against fellow qualifiers Raul Mesa/Christian Garcia (Spain) was decided in a close tiebreak (21-16, 20-22, 15-12).

Bykanov/Hudyakov were the only other pool title winner to play a three-set affair, doing so in the opening round.

Pool winners were:

• Pool A: No. 1 Safa Urlu/Hasan Huseyin Mermer (Turkey)
• Pool B: No. 2 Stefan Basta/Lazar Kolaric (Serbia)
• Pool C: No. 6 Martin Applegren/Simon Boman (Sweden)
• Pool D: No. 4 Ruslan Bykanov/Maksim Hudyakov (Russia)

Men’s round of 12 play begins at 6:30 a.m. ET Saturday.

But first, women’s pool play action wraps up at 3 a.m. ET Saturday.

Vying for the Pool A title are No. 1 seed Ksenia Dabizha/Daria Mastikova (Russia) and No. 8 Sofia Ogren/Camilla Nilsson (Sweden).

In Pool B, No. 2 Leila Ortega/Maylen Tamayo (Cuba) and No. 10 Kristina Thurin/Susanna Thurin (Sweden) will face off.

In Pool C, No. 3 seed Victoria Kjolberg/Ane Guro Hjortland (Norway) and qualifiers Line Trans Hansen/Maria Elisabeth Tyndeskov (Denmark) will play for the title.

In Pool D, No. 5 Panagiota Karagkouni/Aliki Spiliotopoulou (Greece) will face qualifiers Silvia Costantini/Agata Zuccarelli (Italy).

Thurin/Thurin squeaked past countrywomen Tadva Yoken/Sigrid Simonsson, who came through the qualifiers, in the opening match (21-18, 12-21, 16-14) to move into the pool title match.

Costantini/Zuccarelli also went the distance in their opener, holding on to top Turkey’s Bugra Eryildiz/Aleyna Vence.