Both Latvian beach volleyball duos reach European U-20 Championship quarterfinals
Latvian beach volleyball pairs Līva Ēbere/Estere Zaķīte and Ralfs Andrejevs/Gustavs Druska secured quarterfinal spots at the European U-20 Championship in Italy on Saturday.
On Saturday in Italy, both Latvian duos advanced to the quarterfinals of the European U-20 Beach Volleyball Championship after winning their knockout-stage matches.
Women's pair wins in straight sets
Seeded fourth, Līva Ēbere and Estere Zaķīte faced Italian pair Viola Duranda and Rebeka Cotafava, ranked 31st, in the round of 16. The Latvians won in two sets, 21:18 and 21:14. Earlier, in the group stage, Ēbere/Zaķīte won all three of their matches, which allowed them to skip the first knockout round and advance directly to the round of 16.
Men's pair claims two wins in one day
Among the juniors, seventh-seeded Ralfs Andrejevs and Gustavs Druska had won only one of their three group-stage matches, meaning they had to start from the first knockout round. There, the Latvians defeated British pair Louis Bunting and Bailey Harsham, ranked 24th, 21:15, 21:15. Later the same day, in the match for a quarterfinal spot, Andrejevs/Druska beat French pair Ilan Louis and Gilles M'Kouale, seeded 11th, 21:17, 21:19.
Tournament format
The main draw features 32 duos split into eight groups of four pairs each. Group winners advance directly to the round of 16, while second- and third-placed pairs must first compete in the opening knockout round. The European U-20 Beach Volleyball Championship in Italy continues through Sunday.
