News

07.07.05
Men's tournament. Day 4. Brazil vs Russia - 3:0

Another Russian pair gave up to the Brazilian overwhelming pressure and had to ground their arms. Details

07.07.05
Boris DOKUTCHAEV: 'Don't treat defeats of Russian women's teams as a tragedy!'

Boris Dokutchaev, famous St. Petersburg beach volleyball expert, coach of the Complex School of High Sports Mastery with the only beach volleyball department in Russia, the coach of Russian women's participants, commented yesterday's St.Petersburg Open-2005 failures of Russian women's teams. Details

07.07.05
Men's tournament: Karasev/Zaitsev were beat down by the Brazilians only in the third set.

On July 7 the Russian duet Dmitri Karasev/Pavel Zaitsev faced the Brazilian pair Benjamin/Harley Marques on the Central court. Details

07.07.05
Men's tournaments: Russian #1 team remains in the Main Draw

11.50 In today's third match 9-seeded Russians Dmitry Barsouk/Roman Arkaev once again proved their top rank defeating 29-seeded Nowotny/Gartmayer from Austria in two sets.  Details

06.07.05
SWATCH-FIVB St. Petersburg Open-2005: best Russian Women's Beach Volley Players Left the Tournament and Our Men's Tandem Qualifi

The Russian favourites Natalia Uryadova and Alexandra Shiryaeva coached by Boris Dokutchaev lost their second match with the Japanese duet Chiaki Kusuhara/Satoko Urata at the central court of the Peter and Paul's Fortress and as a result dropped out from the further 'money rounds' of the World SWATCH-FIVB Beach Volleyball Series-2005.  Details

06.07.05
Best Russian beach volley players left the tournament

The Russian favourites Natalia Uryadova and Alexandra Shiryaeva coached by Boris Dokutchaev lost their second match with the Japanese duet Chiaki Kusuhara/Satoko Urata at the central court of the Peter and Paul's Fortress and as a result dropped out from the further 'money rounds' of the World SWATCH-FIVB Beach Volleyball Series-2005. Details

06.07.05
SWATCH-FIVB St. Petersburg Open-2005 is open!

An official opening ceremony of the World SWATCH-FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour - 2005 was held at the central court of volleyball village on the beach of the Peter-and-Paul Fortress just opposite The Hermitage. Details

06.07.05
'Fast' sand of the Peter-and-Paul Fortress

Interview with Victor Sviridov, Secretary-in-charge of the National Volleyball Federation, about the history of Russian beach volleyball and the current St. Petersburg tournament held in the Peter-and-Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg. Details

06.07.05
Russian strongest teams dropped down to the loozers bracket

: after the pair Alexandra Shiryaeva/Natalya Uryadova was defeated by the duet Koizumi/Tanaka from Japan in the toughest game. As the game opened the Russian tandem was evidently leading 9:4. However, little by little the Japanese took over and led to a 9:9 tie. Advancing to the end of the set, the match was swinging and finally resulted in a 19:19 tie. The Japanese turned emotionally stronger and won the set 21:19. The second set almost repeated the first one. The Russians were constantly leading the game followed by the Japanese team. Tiredness of the Russian duet in the middle of the game let the Japanese take advantage and win 21:19.

06.07.05
Russians Yudina/Bratkova lost but showed strong

First Main Draw rivals of the St. Petersburg volleyball players Inna Yudina/Maria Bratkova coached by Boris Dokutchaev was the famous Brazilian tandem Larissa Franca/Juliana Felisberta Silva. The Russian duet lost in the first two sets (0-2), but showed strong and demonstrated their potential. However, after the first set 15-21 defeat, they took over and led with a 3-point margin (8-5). But later their more experienced rivals, Juliana and Larissa, led to a 10-10 tie and earning a small margin managed to retain it till the very end of the match. As a result, they won the first and second sets 15-21 and 21-17.

06.07.05
Russians Karasev/Zaitsev took decisive step towards the Main Draw

On July 6 the Russian tandem Dmitri Karasev/Pavel Zaitsev played a qualification match against the Italian team Cicola/Bedandi. The Russian players were slightly nervous only during the first half of the first set, it took them some time to crack the Appenine players' defense. There was even a short-lived 13-13 tie when Italians have nearly stolen thunder. But then Russians took over and won the set 21-14. In the second set Dmitri and Pavel took over from the very start. Just look at impressive scores: 5-1, 7-3, 11-8, 14-10, 17-13. With the 20-13 score Cicola and Bedandi played all-or-nothing game and earned 4 more points - all they could score playing against the Russian team. Set score 21-17, match score 2-0. 'Our rivals are young Italian tandem training for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing,' said Dmitri just after the match, 'At the beginning we didn't quite get in their style but then we took over and played our game. We still have to win one more qualification match to net the spot in- the Main Draw'.

06.07.05
At yesterday's drawing players were warned about the Fortress' cannon's shoot.

In the evening of July, 5 a drawing procedure of the SWATCH-FIVB World Beach Volleyball Series - St. Petersburg Open 2005 men's qualification and women's main draw took place in Pribaltiyskaya Hotel. The tournament's technical supervisor Peter Hreszczuk (Australia) addressed the players with a word of salutation and also informed the participants about St. Petersburg tradition - a noon cannon shot in the Fortress. 'We'll stop the matches two minutes before the noon said the supervisor - and this break will last for one more minute after the shot. If somebody gets scared you can address the medical centre. And plug your ears when the cannon shoots!' This is how the FIVB cares about players' physical and mental health!

05.07.05
SWATCH-FIVB St. Petersburg Open-2005: Eight women's teams placed in the Main Draw SWATCH-FIVB-2005.

On Tuesday, July 5, 2005 St. Petersburg Open returned to the Peter-and-Paul Fortress where the Beach Volleyball competition for the 1994 Goodwill Games was held. With the backdrop of the fantastic scenery of the city, St. Petersburg Open with Prize Money of US$400,000 conducted women's Qualification Tournament in the Peter and Paul's Fortress to determine the final eight Beach Volleyball spots for Wednesday's Main Draw events. More than 1,000 tons of special sand were supplied to the Fortress to construct 6 playing courts and erect the 4,000-seat arena. The event is also sixth men's on the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour this season.  Details

05.07.05
St. Petersburg Open 2005: three men's teams secured spots in the Qualification Tournament

On Tuesday. July 5, 2005, St. Petersburg Open for men began in the Peter and Paul's Fortress with three country quota matches for teams from Brazil, Canada and Russia to determine the final seeding for Wednesday's Qualification Tournament on the shores of the Neva River. With the backdrop of the historic scenery, the US$400,000 St. Petersburg Open is the fourth of five-straight men's and women's events on the 2005 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour in Europe. More than 1,000 tons of sand were supplied to the Fortress to prepare six competition courts and erect 4,000-seat arena. For women's teams it is the seventh event on the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour this season. Details

04.07.05
SWATCH-FIVB St. Petersburg Open 2005: Brazilian and Canadian women's pairs decided who's the best

At 2 p.m. the SWATCH-FIVB World Beach Volleyball Series - St. Petersburg Open 2005 - took off with County Quota matches with the Prize Money totaling US$ 400,000 (US$ 200,000 for men's and women's tours each). For the first time has the Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) scheduled such a prestigious tournament in St. Petersburg. The right to organize the event was granted to the Open St. Petersburg Company.