Four RI teams fail to make volleyball quarterfinals
JAKARTA (JP): Four Indonesian teams failed to graduate to the quarterfinals after losing in the elimination round of the ninth leg of the Keramik Diamond Men's Beach World Volleyball Championships on an artificial-beach court at the Senayan tennis complex.
Indonesian Olympians Muchammad Nurmufid/Markoji Markoji, who intended to improve their world ranking from 24th to 17th, lost to seventh seeded Sinjin Smith/Carl Henkel 4-15 in their first match. Smith is dubbed the King of the Beach since he developed beach volleyball.
In their second match, Nurmufid/Markoji, who qualified for the main draw, were eliminated by qualifying round winners from Australia Victor Anfilloff/Jeremy Richardson 8-15.
Both Nurmufid and Markoji blamed their loss on their lack of experience.
Another Indonesian team, which qualified for the main draw, Irilkhum Sofana/Agus Salim lost to fifth seeded Brazilian duo of Paulo Emilio Silva Azevedo/Paulo Roberto Paulao Moreira da Co 11- 15.
Sofana/Salim lost to Russian pair Dmitry Areshkin/Michel Koushniriov 5-15 in their second match.
Two Indonesian teams, which passed the qualifying round, also failed to make the quarterfinals.
Iwan Sumoyo/Anjas Asmara, gold medalists at the just-completed 14th National Games, lost to third seeded Jan Kvalheim/Bjrn Maaseide 9-15.
Iwan/Anjas then lost to Martin Laciga/Bernhard Vesti of Switzerland 8-15 in their second match.
Indonesia's last hope Supri Supriano/Alfinus Oban Seleng failed to make the next round after being eliminated by fourth seeded Rogrio Par Ferreira de Souza/Guillerme Luiz Marquez 4- 15. Supri/Alfinus also lost to Australians Gernot Leitner/Oliver Stamm 3-15.
The Centennial Olympic silver medalists Mike Dodd/Whit Whitmarsh of the USA surprisingly lost to Kvalheim/Maaseide 9-15 in the second round.
Olympic bronze medalist Mark Heese/John Child, who are the top seeds, cruised to today's quarterfinals after beating Tom Englen/Figge Petersson 15-9.
The quarterfinals will begin today, which will be aired live by privately-owned TPI at 03:00 p.m. (yan)