Denmark’s Hog and Bisgaard duo barely beat Pons-Rondina tandem in world beach volleyball

IT MAY NOT be a victory.

But the way Bernadeth Pons and Sisi Rondina battled in the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, they showed they deserved to be there.

“Margins this small only prove one thing, we belong on this stage,” said a proud Ms. Pons right after their pulsating 21-19, 21-17 defeat to Denmark’s Cirkeline Roed Hog and Sofia Norager Bisgaard in Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna on Thursday.

The Southeast Asian Games gold medalists didn’t let the star-studded event intimidate them a bit and brought everything on the table, and made their more experienced Danish foes work a little harder in the event considered as the first of many roads to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

It was a result that pushed the Filipinas on the brink of elimination though.

Ms. Pons, who is back on the sands after helping steer Creamline to the PVL All-Filipino Conference crown a month ago, vowed to get back on track when they face Swiss Annique Niederhauser and Menia Bentele, needing a victory to advance to the next round.

“We dust ourselves off and come back stronger, on to the next,” she added.

Interestingly, Mses. Niederhauser and Bentele edged Mses. Pons and Rondina in their one and only meeting thus far last year in a heartbreaking 18-21, 24-22, 25-12 result also on this same grounds.

Also coming through were Lithuanians Gerda Grudzinskaite and Ieva Dumbauskaite, who smashed Hungarians Lilla Villam and Stefania Flora Kun, 22-20, 21-14.

In men’s action, American Chase Budinger, a former American player who transitioned to the sport where he eventually became an Olympian, partnered with Trevor Crabb in decimating Canadians Luke de Greeff and Tynan Gannett, 21-9, 21-13.

Ukrainians Valentyna Davidova and Anhelina Khmil downed Mses. Niederhauser and Bentele, 20-22, 21-13, 15-11, to set a duel with Mses. Bisgaard and Hog.

Paris 2024 Olympians Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte of Lithuania survived wildcards Marie-Alex Belanger and Amy Ozee of Canada, 21-18, 20-22, 15-12, to stay in the hunt.

Men’s top seed players Eylon Elazar and Kevin Cuzmiciov of Israel opened their title quest with a 21-14, 21-15 rout of Denmark’s Kristoffer Abell and Christian Andersen. — Joey Villar