Beach Volleyball, Rome World Cup: Windisch-Dal Corso and Nicolai-Cottafava win

Jakob Windisch and Gianluca Dal Corso take the cover of the second day of the beach volleyball World Cup in progress at the Foro Italico in Rome which also saw the defender of the 2006 world football champion Alessandro Nesta among the spectators of the day. The newly formed couple coached by Matteo Varnier, the former Nicolai-Lupo coach, beat Chilean cousins ​​Grimalt 2-0 (couple at number 9 of the tournament seed) at the end of a very substantial performance. An excellent start for the Azzurri, both making their debut in a World Cup, protagonists of an entirely new experiment in Italian beach volleyball: both are born as block players, with Windisch evolving into a defender.

The new role

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“This role is also beginning to like me – jokes the South Tyrolean – and I find myself more and more at ease. We worked a whole winter on this new role and I’ve been reinventing myself for nine months now and playing behind this monster on the wall. Clearly I am not a defensive player and I have some deficiencies in that fundamental, but I have different characteristics and I focus on my qualities to compensate for some deficiencies “. Shortcomings that did not emerge too evident during the match against Grimalt: “They have been on the world circuit even before I started playing – continues Windisch – and this is one more reason to be happy with today’s result. But we know that we have not done anything yet and that tomorrow we will have to try to reconfirm ourselves against the Austrians Seidl-Walleor ”.

Well Nicolai and Cottafava

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To follow, all easy at the debut for Paolo Nicolai and Samuele Cottafava against the Colombians Murray-Rivas, beaten 2-0 (21-12, 21-15). It was more than anything else a game necessary to get the right confidence with the Roman sand and, above all, with the central field, with a thousand people in the stands, a few more than on the first day. The Azzurri, returning from the victory of the Elite 16 tournament in Jurmala, Latvia, played with the usual tranquility and immediately put the match on ice, without ever giving the Colombians the opportunity to return to the game.

Team victory

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Nothing can be blamed on Davide Benzi and Carlo Bonifazi. At their absolute debut in a World Cup (at home, in the true sense of the word for Bonifazi), the draw pitted them against the Norwegian Olympic champions Mol-Sorum. A game without history, lost 2-0 (21-12, 21-8), but still played with great spirit and with the support of all the central Foro Italico. Support that was not lacking even to Adrian Carambula and Enrico Rossi, victorious 2-0 (21-18, 22-20) against the Argentine brothers Capogrosso, despite the evident physical problem of the Italian-Uruguayan that affected his mobility. “When one of the two is not at his best, the other must give something more – explains Rossi – it is the concept of the team and we are”. And, clearly, the support of the public could not be missing for the Roman Daniele Lupo and for Alex Ranghieri who, after taking the lead and having had a ball to close the match against the Dutch Varenhorst-Van de Velde, immediately recovered and lost 2-1 (15-21, 22-20, 15-12).

Defeated women

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After the debut victory, the group of Marta Menegatti and Valentina Gottardi continues with a defeat, beaten 2-0 (21-17-21-18) by the Spanish Carro-Lobato. “Unfortunately today we were unable to play the game we would have liked – explains the young Modenese Gottardi – but the pool is still open and tomorrow we will play the qualification for the knockout stage. We are confident “. The first blue match of the day, on the other hand, saw Margherita Tega and Valentina Calì fight (especially in the second set, when they also canceled a match point) against the Canadians Bukovec-Brandie, before losing 2-0 (21-12, 22 -20). “We are growing game after game and we are trying to better enjoy the atmosphere of this World Cup where we have everything to learn”.

The races of tomorrow

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Tomorrow’s program will see the Italian couples as protagonists already in the morning. The first to take the field will be the sisters Viki and Reka Orsi Toth at 11 (all the Italian couples play on the central court) against the German Muller-Tillmann, winners of the penultimate Elite 16 in Ostrava, in the Czech Republic. To follow, Scampoli- Bianchin will challenge the Polish Wojtasik-Kociolek. In the afternoon, at 5 pm, it will be the turn of Windisch-Dal Corso against the Austrians Seidl-Waller and at 6 pm of Benzi-Bonifazi against the Chileans Aravena-Droguett. At 20 Nicolai-Cottafava will play against the Thai Surin-Banlue. At 9 pm it will be Calì-Tega’s turn against the Swiss Bobner-Vergé Depre and at 10 pm Menegatti-Gottardi against the Ecuadorian Ariana-Karelys will close the day.