Tauranga's Kirk Pitman and Jason Lochhead bagged a win and loss in the main draw at the final European stop on the world beach volleyball tour in Poland yesterday.
They beat Japan's Kenatro Asahi and Katsuhiro Shiratori, the 21st team in current Olympic rankings, 18-21 21-14 15-13 before losing to Germany
No 1 side Julius Brink and Christoph Dieckman 9-21 15-21.
In a thrilling match against the Japanese, highlighted by spectacular defence from both teams, New Zealand lost the first set 18-21 but rallied in the second set to win it 21-14. In a close third set, where the lead changed several times, the Kiwis got the break to win the set 15-13.
Pitman and Lochhead now face a sudden-death match against a French combination they have beaten twice this season.
The Poland Open is the last European world tour stop, with two events left in the season in Fortaleza, Brazil, and Bali, Indonesia.
The Polish Open marks the halfway point in Olympic qualification. Pitman and Lochhead are ranked 26th but need to make it into the top 23 to have any chance of qualifying.
