Waller and Pristauz narrowly miss podium in Gstaad

Despite the disappointment over the missed podium, Moritz Pristauz drew a positive balance following the tournament. "Es ist natürlich im Endeffekt bitter, am Schluss zweimal zu verlieren und so knapp bei einem Elite das Podium zu verpassen," he said. At the same time, he emphasized: "Ich denke, es war für uns einfach ein gutes Turnier."

Pristauz also referred to his personal starting position. It had been his first tournament after an injury, he said: "Wenn man bedenkt, dass ich nach meiner Verletzung mein erstes Turnier bestritten habe und wir gleich so performen, war das ein Ausrufezeichen für die Saison." The team had thereby given a strong sporting response to the past months.

Voices from the team

The results of both genders shaped the Austrian federation's appearance in Gstaad. On the women's side, Dorina and Ronja Klinger represented the ÖVV. They had to concede defeat on Saturday in the round of 16 to the Germans Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann 0:2 (-23, -16) and ultimately finished in ninth place.

Pristauz classified the outcome as a personal best performance. "Im Endeffekt ist es für mich das beste Ergebnis auf der World Tour ever," he declared. After the first two tournaments of the current season with his partner Philipp Waller, they had thus quickly been pushed toward their own performance limits. "Wir können aber stolz auf die Leistung sein," said Pristauz.

Significance for the ÖVV

The Elite16 tournament in Gstaad is one of the higher-value events on the World Pro Tour and features strong international teams. For Waller and Pristauz, who had entered the main draw as the 17th seed, reaching the semifinal already represented a notable success against strong competition.

The next stop on the Pro Tour calendar for the Austrian beach volleyball players is just a few weeks away. With a view to the upcoming tasks, the duo will look to build on the performances shown in Gstaad.

Outlook on the upcoming tournaments

The sporting conclusion for the ÖVV from Gstaad reads: an eighth place for the women, a fourth-place finish for the men — and the realization that the men's duo combination of Waller/Pristauz, following Pristauz's injury break, belongs to the extended top teams of the tour early in the season.

The disappointment over the two defeats at the finish weighed visibly on Pristauz, but was overshadowed by the personal best performance as well as the sporting statement. Overall, a solid result remained against a dense international field.