Mykola Babich and Iaroslav Gordieiev earned two wins to reach the main draw of the men's tournament ©FIVB

Ukraine’s Mykola Babich and Iaroslav Gordieiev sprung a surprise in qualifying at the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Sochi Open to advance to the main draw of the tournament in Russia.

The pair headed into the qualification rounds as the 16th seeded team and began confidently, battling past Latvia’s Ingars Ivanovs and Ruslans Sorokins 18-21, 21-17, 15-12.

Their challenge got tougher when they were drawn against the highest ranked Maciej Kosiak and Maciej Rudol of Poland in the final match of the qualifying, but the pair earned the first set 21-18.

After being forced into a decider, after the Poles won the second 21-16, Babich and Gordieiev responded impressively to secure the third set 15-12 to be one of eight teams to join the main draw.

Serbia’s Stefan Basta and Lazar Kolaric continued their excellent run of form in qualifying for FIVB World Tour events, stretching their runs of wins to seven, helping them reach the main draw of tournaments in Doha, Xiamen and Fuzhou.

Their latest triumph saw them produce an impressive display to defeat Qatar’s Julio Nascimento and Ahmed Tijan 21-18, 21-14.

Second seeds Philip Gabathuler and Mirco Gerson of Switzerland also progressed, earning a 25-23, 21-18 victory over Lithuania’s Arnas Rumsevicius and Lukas Kazdailis.

Austrians Barbara Hansel and Stefanie Schwaiger justified their status as top seeds in women's qualifying
Austrians Barbara Hansel and Stefanie Schwaiger justified their status as top seeds in women's qualifying ©FIVB

In the women’s qualification, top ranked Austrians Barbara Hansel and Stefanie Schwaiger were given a strong test by the French pairing of Aline Chamereau and Ophelie Lusson in the opening set of their contest.

After triumphing 27-25 in the opener, the Austrians took control of the match against their youthful opponents, winning the second set 21-10.

“The French played very well in the first set and we made several mistakes after leading 12-9 at the technical time out,” said Schwaiger.

“We managed our game better in the second set when the wind was a factor, our experience was helpful as you must adjust your game to fit the conditions.”

Greece’s Vassiliki Arvaniti and Angeliki Karagouni also progressed after the second seeds defeated Sweden’s Karin Lundqvist and Anne Rininsland 21-14, 21-17.

The biggest surprise came when Ukraine’s Valentyna Davidova and Ievgeniia Shchypkova defeated China’s Chen Chunxia and N. Y. Tang, the fourth seeds falling to a 21-18, 17-21, 23-21 defeat.