Xiamen Men’s Semifinals Set, Feature 4 Teams Not Yet on 2017 Podium

2017 FIVB WORLD BEACH TOUR – XIAMEN

• April 19-23, 2017
• Co-Ed
• 3-Star Event
• Event site
• Match schedule

The Xiamen 3-Star semifinals are set and it will be three different teams on the podium than in previous four weeks of the FIVB Beach World Tour. None of the four semifinalists have been in the top four at the previous tournaments.

In the biggest upset of the day, Poland’s Maciej Rudol and Jakub Szalankiewicz knocked off Cuba’s Nivaldo Diaz and Sergio Gonzalez in three sets, 22-20, 13-21, 15-11. The Cubans won last week’s One-Star event in Langkawi.

Rudol/Szalankiewicz (POL) make it #BeachWorldTour #Xiamen men's semifinals with a 2-1(22-20, 13-21, 15-11) win vs Nivaldo/Gonzalez (CUB) pic.twitter.com/Uaa2L0TAAG

— Beach Volleyball (@FIVBBeach) April 22, 2017

The Polish team will face Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meewsen of the Netherlands who advanced to the semifinals in their first competition of 2017 with a three-set win over Americans Sean Rosenthal and Trevor Crabb, 21-16, 17-21, 15-9. The Dutch pair won the bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“There was a lot of wind and even a little rain that is difficult to play with, but I think the most important thing is your attitude and keep playing forward and we did that quite well. In the second set, a little bit less so, and then we managed to start really well in the third set and I think that led us to the victory,” said Meeuwen.

Rudol/Szlankiewicz and Brouwer/Meewsen will face off at 9 p.m. ET Saturday.

Italians Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo, the 2016 Olympic silver medalists who are ranked 12th in the FIVB World Beach rankings, downed Americans Ryan Doherty and James Avery Drost in straight sets 21-17, 21-12.

The Italians will meet Armin Dollinger and Jonathan Erdmann of Germany, after the duo swept Thomas Kunert and Christoph Dressler of Austria 21-17, 21-18. This is the first semifinal appearance for the German duo.

Nicolai/Lupo will face Dollinger/Erdmann at 8 p.m. ET Saturday.

Men’s Quarterfinal Results

• Nicolai/Lupo (Italy) def. Doherty/Drost (USA)21-17, 21-12
• Dollinger/Erdmann (Germany) def. Kunert/Dressler (Austria) 21-17, 21-18
• Rudol/Szalankiewicz (Poland) def. Gonzalez/Nivaldo (Cuba) 22-20, 13-21, 15-11
• Brouwer/Meeuwsen (Netherlands) def. Rosenthal/Crabb (USA) 21-16, 17-21, 15-9