The upcoming Qualification Tournament for the US$175,000 VIP Open starts here Wednesday after five Country Quota matches were played Tuesday in the SWATCH FIVB World Tour event on the Lake Jarun courts.
Advancing from the preliminary playoff matches were the Croatian teams of Matija Gracin/Grga Trimcevski, Dejan Kljajic/Marko Loncar, Ivan Lugar/Miroslav Vabec and Donald Stojnic/Andrej Stanic.
All four Croatian tandems will be seeking a spot in Thursday's Main Draw via the 49-team single-elimination qualifier Wednesday as well as Ronny Bernsten and Kim Hellum, who won the Norwegian Country Quota match. Bernsten and Hellum are now 1-1 in preliminary matches after losing two weeks ago in a Country Quota playoffs In the Czech Republic.
Host Croatia will have three Beach Volleyball pairs in Thursday's opening "money" rounds, including Toni Ivkovic/Pero Krizanovic, Darko Nojic/Kresimir Peric and Josip Kovacev/Jegor Zukovskij while Norway will have at least two tandems led by Jorre Kjemperud/Tarjei Skarlund and Iver Horrem/Bjorn Maaseide.
Before Tuesday's matches at the VIP Open, Brazilians Marcio Araujo and Fabio Magalhaes announced their "desire" for another SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medal after winning the inaugural stop in the Croatian capital in 2005.
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