Točs/Auziņš exit European Championship in first play-off round
Latvian beach volleyball duo Mārtiņš Točs and Edgars Mihails Auziņš were eliminated from the European Championship after losing to a French pair in the opening play-off round.
At the Beach Volleyball European Championship, Latvia's Mārtiņš Točs and Edgars Mihails Auziņš were knocked out in the first play-off round, losing to French pair Enzo Šuiks (Chuiks) and Arnū Gardoks (Gardot).
The first set was closely contested throughout. Late in the set, Auziņš capitalized on opposing errors to help the Latvians pull ahead, and Točs sealed a strong finish at the net as the pair took the opener 21:17.
In the second set the French duo raced ahead early. Although Točs continued to score at the net, the opponents extended their lead and closed out the set 21:16.
The decisive third set began evenly, but the French gradually pulled away and finished it 15:10, securing the match with a combined score of 2:1 (17:21, 21:16, 15:10) and ending the Latvian pair's run in the tournament.
Other Latvian pairs advance
Two other Latvian duos remain in the competition. Tīna Graudiņa and Anastasija Samoilova won their group A matches against Estonian and Ukrainian opponents, while Aleksandrs Pļaviņš and Mārtiņš Fokerots defeated Austrian and German pairs in group D. Both Latvian pairs will play in the round of 16 the following day.
