2017-08-23 21:31:00 CET
It can’t get any better than this!
German duo delight with opening victory
The Germans celebrate their opening night victory on the floodlights
They might have been wildcards and one of the outsiders for the title on home sand, but Armin Dollinger and Jonathan Erdmann showed they mean business in Hamburg with a brilliant win over Brazilians Alvaro Filho and Saymon Barbosa.
Under the Red Bull Beach Arena floodlights, the German duo delighted the home crowd by edging a nail-biting final set to record a 21-15, 19-21, 15-13 victory inside 57 gripping minutes.
After their fine win over this season’s Fort Lauderdale Major gold medalists, Dollinger was understandably delighted to kick-start their tournament with a win.
“It was an amazing feeling to win on the main court against one of the best teams in the world,” said the 26-year-old afterwards. “This crowd was fantastic and we hope tomorrow that it’s the same when we play at the same time.
“Although the crowd plays a big part, we try and focus – of course we’re playing beach volleyball in Germany, we’re in Hamburg and things like this can’t get any better.
“But Clemens Doppler and Alex Horst have shown the power that the crowd can have – they showed that at the World Championships.
“However we never sat down and discussed any expectations before the tournament. We’re here to enjoy it and see what happens.”
The Germans take on Polish pair Kantor/Losiak at 8pm CET on Thursday – a game you can watch free when you sign-up for BeachStream. Click here to sign-up!
