Latvian Smedins hoping for longer Klagenfurt birthday celebration

Klagenfurt, Austria, July 31, 2016 – For the fourth year in a row, Janis Smedins is spending his birthday in Klagenfurt. On Sunday, he and Aleksandrs Samoilovs can make it a larger celebration than they might have planned.

The Latvia duo reached the championship match of the A1 Major Klagenfurt with a 21-16, 21-18 win over Canada’s Ben Saxton and Chaim Schalk and will face young Brazilians Saymon Barbosa and Gustavo Carvalhaes in the last match before the FIVB World Tour takes a break for the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Saymon and Guto, both 22, reached the final with a 21-16, 24-22 over Poland’s Michal Bryl and Bartosz Losiak. The Brazilians are looking for their second win in 2016 after capturing the Cincinnati Open.

The buoyant crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to Smedins and he and Samoilovs went on to reach their first final in Klagenfurt. They are seeking their ninth title together overall on the FIVB World Tour.

“It’s very special because every year I have my birthday somewhere outside, not at my home and I need to play, I cannot celebrate,” said …

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