Vienna, Austria, July 28, 2017 - Reigning Olympic champions Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst won their opening match here Friday in the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships presented by A1 as the Germans posted a two-set win over a team from Morocco.
One of 16 women’s matches in 11th edition of the world championships, the fourth-seeded Ludwig and Walkenhorst posted a 2-0 (21-10, 21-12) Pool D win in 25 minutes over 45th-seeded African qualifiers Mahassine Siad/Imane Zeroual Morocco.
The women’s Pool D features three German pairs as 21st-seeded Karla Borger and Margareta Kozuch defeated 28th-seeded compatriots Nadja Glenzke/Julia Grossner 2-0 (21-16, 21-17) in 39 minutes. All four teams in the group play again Saturday with Ludwig/Walkenhorst meeting Glenzke/Grossner with the Moroccans playing Borger/Kozuch.
The US$1-million FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships presented by A1 continues Saturday with 28 matches schedule on three courts at the state-of-the art venue at Donauinsel with the focal point of the action and entertainment being held with a picturesque view of the Danube River and the lively atmosphere of the Beach Village.
A total of 216-matches will be played over a 10-day period at the world championships where the winning men’s and women’s teams will each split the $60,000 first-place prizes. The women’s medal matches will be played August 5 and the men’s August 6. With 96 teams from 40 countries in the competition, pool play will highlight the first six days of play with the featured court being the 10,000-seat Red Bull Beach Arena.
