Semifinalists Decided at MEVZA U20 Championship in Portorož

The second day of the MEVZA U20 Beach Volleyball Championship in Portorož featured the final pool matches in the morning, followed by the quarterfinals later in the day, with the semifinalists in both competitions decided by the evening.

In the men’s tournament, Pool A concluded with Hungary’s Pongracz/Goudie defeating Croatia’s Lozancic/Vidovic in a three-set thriller, 2-1 (21-23, 21-16, 15-13), to secure second place behind Israeli top seeds Goldshmid Fisher/Gozlan.

Pool B saw Slovakia’s Beles/Danco claim second place after a straight-set victory over Hungary’s Fodo/Keszthelyi, while Czech pair Pavlusek/Havelka finished at the top of the group with an unbeaten record.

In Pool C, Czech duo Vaculik/Simek booked first place by defeating Slovenia’s Mugerli/Godec 2-0 (21-16, 21-13), while Austria’s Sponer A./Gavan advanced directly after receiving a bye.

Pool D featured two decisive encounters. Slovenia’s Mavric Zikic/Breznik completed a perfect group stage with a 2-0 win over Croatia’s Skoric Budimir/Misura, while Slovakia’s Semansky/Dzurik secured second place by defeating Israeli pair Hait Krasulin/Khlopontov 2-0 (21-9, 21-14).

Following the conclusion of the pool stage, the afternoon quarterfinals determined the four semifinalists in the men’s competition. Hungary’s Pongracz/Goudie upset Czech pair Vaculik/Simek 2-0 (21-19, 21-16), while Czech duo Pavlusek/Havelka defeated Semansky/Dzurik in straight sets. Austria’s Beles/Danco overcame Slovenia’s Mavric Ziki?/Breznik 2-0 (21-17, 21-13), and Sponer A./Gavan continued their strong tournament with a 2-0 victory over Israeli top seeds Goldshmid Fisher/Gozlan.

In the women’s competition, Austria’s Bohnel/Gasser secured second place in Pool A with a straight-set win over Slovakia’s Stefancikova/Hajzusova, joining unbeaten Israelis Maor/Gonzalez in the quarterfinals.

Pool B concluded with Austria’s Bleyer/Pap defeating Slovenia’s Ferdin/Potocnik in three sets, while Hungary’s Kiss-Bertok/Zador advanced directly after receiving a bye.

In Pool C, Czech pair Lajkebova/Dostalikova edged Slovenia’s Alibabic/Alibabic 2-1 (20-22, 21-18, 15-10), while Croatia’s Sos/Biuk progressed to the knockout stage after receiving a bye.

Pool D delivered another close battle as Hungary’s Sarik-Veress/Matkovits defeated Slovakia’s Argalasova/Suchankova 2-1 (17-21, 21-18, 15-10), while Czech duo Kafkova/Kalisova completed the group stage unbeaten with a 2-0 victory over Croatia’s Herceg/Delimehic.

Following the conclusion of the pool stage, the afternoon quarterfinals completed the women’s semifinal line-up. The women’s quarterfinals saw Maor/Gonzalez of Israel defeat Czech pair Lajkebova/Dostalikova 2-0 (21-16, 21-12), while Kafkova/Kalisova advanced with a straight-set victory over Austria’s Bleyer/Pap. Croatia’s Sos/Biuk secured a place in the semifinals by beating Austria’s Bohnel/Gasser 2-0 (21-14, 21-14), and Hungary’s Kiss-Bertok/Zador survived a thrilling three-set battle against compatriots Sarik-Veress/Matkovits, winning 2-1 (19-21, 21-15, 16-14).

On Tuesday, the championship concludes with the semifinals, medal matches, and the decisive qualification battles for the CEV U20 European Championships.