After the FIVB World Tour resumed in Slovenia recently, the next event is the 1-star in Baden (Austria). The event will take place from August 20-23. This year, the event will not be run at the iconic Strandbad but at Weilburgpark, an event location nearby. Baden is one of Austria’s most popular beach volleyball locations and has been hosting several prestigious international tournaments over the past decade. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, only 200 people will be allowed in the audience. International participants need to provide a negative Covid-19 test that has been conducted within the last three days.
With many top events being cancelled this season, the Baden 1-star entry list features many international top teams. 2017 world championships silver medalists Clemens Doppler and Alex Horst will try to defend the men’s titles they won in the previous two editions. Top-seeds are Switzerland’s Adrian Heidrich and Mirco Gerson.
On the women’s side, a new champion will be crowned as local heroine Katharina Schützenhöfer is still recovering from an injury. Her partner Lena Plesiutschnig will play with Dorina Klinger. With Hamburg semifinalists Betschart/Hüberli (Switzerland), Czech beach girls Marketa Slukova and Barbora Hermannova, Borger/Sude (Germany) and Menegatti/Orsi-Toth (Italy), the women’s entry list sounds more like the one of a 4-star, not a 1-star event.
The Baden 1-star will feature 16 teams per gender in the main draws. There are 12 auto entries and 4 teams coming from the qualifiers on Thursday. After a modified pool play on Friday, the 12-team single elimination phase starts on Saturday. Semifinals and medal matches will close the event on Sunday.
Livestreams covering all courts and the entire event will be available at beachvolleyball-baden.at.
