The reigning Olympic gold medalists in beach volleyball are back on the world tour after Jonatan Hellvig's thumb injury. And the Swedish pair has started the tournament in Czech Ostrava with two straight wins.
However, it got really tough against ninth-seeded Andy Benesh and Miles Partain. The Americans won the first set with a clear 21–16, David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig won the second with 21–18.
The third and decisive set – where the first to 15 counts – was then a thriller. Benesh/Partain refused to give up for a long time and even saved a match point. But on the second Hellvig blocked a smash from Benesh and secured the win with 2–1 in sets (16–21, 21–18, 16–14).
Now the Swedish duo avoids a more difficult path through the playoffs. While Hellvig and Åhman go directly to the "round of 12" – the step before the quarterfinal – the Americans must first play another elimination match.
The next match for Hellvig/Åhman is played on Saturday.
