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Ball-Couples Championship
They add the first point in a game that they saw compromised after distancing 14-5 and 21-17 two irreducible souls, Laso and Ander Imaz
The opening match of the semifinal group of this Couples Championship was not a carbon copy of last week’s play-off at the Atano III in Donostia, but it had many similarities with that one for Iker Irribarria and Beñat Rezusta. They take a clear advantage based on their punch and overwhelming dominance of the rally, they drop a point of intensity, the rivals go up to their beards and they react in time to score the victory.
Unai Laso and Ander Imaz confirmed their condition as irreducible souls. This time it was not enough for them to reach twenty-two. They have the consolation that for Bizkarreta “such a result against this couple is like winning.”
The hour and a quarter that passed on the field of a Labrit in which the temperature rose with the passing of the minutes gave much. As they have done on previous occasions, Irribarria and Rezusta displayed their full potential at the start. The balls chosen by them went far and attacked the rival defender. Not only that. The Arama striker worked in attack, especially thanks to volleys down the left wall, executed with such speed that they overtook Laso’s defence. They ruled with an iron fist.
22
Smile-Resume
20
Laso-Imaz
Game time
74 minutes and 31 seconds.balls to good
: 586 plus 6 of the round decreed by the judges with 16-15 due to a hindrance from Irribarria to Laso.Serving points:
Smile, 1. Laso, 0.So many at stake:
Smile, 11. Rezusta, 2. Laso, 12. Imaz, 1.So many lost:
Smile, 6. Rezusta, 1. Laso, 12. Imaz, 1.Marker
: 3-0, 3-2, 8-2, 8-4, 9-4, 9-5, 14.5, 14.10, 15-10, 15-13, 16-13, 16-15, 20-15, 20 -17, 21-17, 21-20 and 22-20.exit odds
: trend towards Irribarria and Rezusta. 80 to 100 below.Serve faults:
Smile, 0. Laso, 1.
Laso jumped onto the field convinced that he had to take risks. His first serve, after taking it after 3-1 and putting into play a dark ball with less bounce than the others, was a declaration of intent: two walls touching the front first and Rezusta forced to return from the set Rest. He repeated with less luck.
“We could finish 22-6”
Neither fortune nor success accompanied Laso during the first half hour of the match and Aspe’s men opened a gap in the electronic score: 14-5. “At that moment it seemed that we could finish 22-6”, confessed the runner-up of the Cuatro y Medio, author of a service fault at 9-4.
THE NOTES
6 | Smile.
Magnificent start of punch and with extraordinary handling of the left-handed volley through the left wall to be diluted after 14-5. He suffered afterwards in defense.7 | Rezusta.
The best and most regular of the four. With a good punch, he missed only one ball, the one that went up at 21-18, and closed the match with a timely cut through the wall.6 | Laso.
Reverse action to that of Irribarria. From less to more, he took risks and lost several goals at the beginning. Afterwards he was the usual one and brought the Labrit to a boil.6 | Imaz.
Enduring such punchers has a capital merit. Despite playing away from the frontis, he resisted, defended, covered… he started the reaction with the volley for 14-6.
Perhaps that result crossed his mind, not giving up. The four protagonists got entangled in the first three frames, Rezusta unsuccessfully tried to make a two walls and Ander Imaz, fully involved in the fray, resolved with a wide volley: 14-6. Applause resounded and the landscape changed.
“I’ve filled up a bit,” acknowledged Irribarria at the conclusion of the clash. The balls lost shine. Imaz was not so harassed and moved a few meters ahead of his position. He stopped having his back glued to the rebound. Laso began to see gaps and nothing was the same as before.
The dynamic was different and the scoreboard tightened. Laso and Imaz came close to a goal at 16-15, at which point Irribarria responded with a left-footed shot off the rebound (17-15) which was followed by a hook off the opposing striker, another winning volley from the 2016 double Manomanista champion and 2019 plus a serve goal (20-15). The gap is open again.
“These are very tough matches from a psychological point of view,” Irribarria pointed out. «You have to calm down in those moments when the head is more about breathing than thinking. We have the pulsations to thousand. We have asked for two breaks – the first at 15-13 and the second at 21-20 – and I think it has worked out well for us.
Not even 21-17 brought the desired tranquility. Rezusta wanted to break the ball and it went to the mattress. Irribarria and his partner are still installed in emotion. But they already look a point.
Bizkaia hosts Altuna-Martija and Elezkano-Zabaleta without a hitch today
Companies are concerned about the low demand for tickets registered since the announcement that Altuna-Martija and Elezkano-Zabaleta, the two best couples in the first phase, would meet at Bilbao’s Bizkaia already in the semifinal group. The day has come, they play this afternoon (ETB1, 5:00 p.m.) and there are no signs that the requests will increase.
The current champion of Manomanista and Cuatro y medio allied with his good defender against the defenders of the Parejas txapela. Although the sporting ingredients of the combination are undeniable and difficult to improve at present, it seems that the appearance of the court seats and the upper floors will be far from what corresponds to a match of this size and with such an important point in play.
Writing an early final when rivals such as Irribarria-Rezusta and Laso-Imaz are also in the running is risky, but the stature of the four pelotaris who are going to take to the field promises a good show. Altuna III oozes inspiration in his latest appearances. Zabaleta is used to dominating these matches. He fights high-flying.
