Liamin/Krasilnikov, Kantor/Losiak Aspires to Kish Island final

Russia’s Nikita Liamin/Viacheslav Krasilnikov and Poland’s Kantor/Losiak came up with straight-set wins over their rivals to progress to the final of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Kish Island 3-Star on Saturday.
Liamin/Krasilnikov outplayed Germany’s Lorenz Schumann/Julius Thole 2-0 (21-19, 21-15), while Kantor/Losiak overpowered Stoyanovskiy/Yarzutkin 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) in the semifinals.
Liamin/Krasilnikov’s slow start allowed Schumann/Thole to gain the early lead in the first set, but the Russian’s better performance down the stretch secured them the set-win at 21-19. The Russian pair kept their pace and capitalised on the German’s missed attacks to seal set and match victory at 21-15.

Kantor/Losiak took control early on in the match, while Stoyanovski/Yarzutkin struggled on their attacks. Kantor mounted several excellent blocks, which provided the Polish side to gain cushion and win both sets at 21-13 and 21-17.

Schumann/Thole can still earn their first-ever World Tour medal against last year’s Kish Island silver medallists Stoyanovskiy/Yarzutkin in the bronze medal match at 15:00 local time, while Liamin/Krasilnikov will play their first final together against last year’s bronze winners Kantor/Losiak at 16:00.