Santa Rosa City – Austrian players Robin Seidl and Moritz Pristauz triumphed over Australia’s Thomas Hodges and Zachery Schubert at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge. The event, held at the Nuvali Sand Courts in Santa Rosa City, Laguna, saw the Austrian pair winning the men’s division with scores of 21-18 and 21-16 on Sunday night.
According to Philippines News Agency, the world No. 27 Austrian team demonstrated remarkable performance, losing only one set in six games, culminating in a trophy win ahead of the grand finals in Doha, Qatar. Pristauz scored 15 points, including hits, blocks, and aces, while Seidl contributed 13 points through attacks and a block, marking their third medal in the Pro Tour. Previously, they secured a bronze medal in Mexico’s La Paz Challenge and won the Goa Challenge in India.
The Austrian team’s only set loss occurred in the quarterfinals against Portugal’s Joao Pedrosa and Hugo Campos. However, they quickly rebounded, defeating England’s Javier and Joaquin Bello in the semifinals. Hodges and Schubert of Australia earned silver after a tough match against Lithuania’s Patrikas Stankevicius and Audrius Knasas.
In the women’s tournament, Latvia’s Anastasija Samoilova and Tina Graudina clinched the championship, defeating Spain’s Daniela Alvarez Mendoza and Tania Moreno Matveeva. The Brazilian pair of Taina Silvi Bigi and Victoria Lopes Pereira Tosta secured the bronze, overcoming France’s Lezana Placette and Alexia Richard.
The event was supported by numerous sponsors, reflecting its status as a significant beach volleyball competition hosted in the Philippines, under the leadership of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation.