Alex Pereira Witkovski anchored Brazil’s offence to defeat Ukraine 3-1 (25-17, 25-22, 22-25, 25-20) in the men’s sitting volleyball tournament of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in North Paris Arena on Saturday.
Witkovski led all Brazilian scorers with 15 markers, while teammates Luis Fabiano de Oliveira, Wescley de Oliveira, Thiago Dos Santos Rocha added 13, 12 and 11 points, respectively. Despite Denys’ Bytchenko’s match-high 19 points for Ukraine, Brazil’s superior attack and blocking, notching 48 and 17 respectively, proved decisive.
Brazil’s solid offence and consistent tactical plays laid the groundwork for Brazil’s victory. In the opening set, Brazil executed their plays flawlessly, giving them a comfortable cushion to cruise to an easy win. The set culminated in a reception error by Ukraine’s Oleksii Kharlamov to close the set at 25-17.
Continuing their strong form into the second set, Brazil faced stiffer resistance from their European rivals, which saw several lead changes. However, critical errors by Ukraine at pivotal moments allowed the Brazilians to maintain the upper hand. The set ended 25-22, with a block from Wellington Anunciacao, sealing the set win and giving them a 2-0 set advantage.
The third set witnessed Ukraine rallying strongly. Brazil maintained a slight edge initially, but Ukraine fought back with determination. A key moment came when Ukraine’s Roman Pryshchepa delivered a powerful serve, leading to a Brazilian reception error to make it 22-24. Ukraine then capitalised on a Brazilian service blunder to win the set 25-22.
Determined to close out the match in the fourth set, Brazil recalibrated and returned to the court with renewed vigour. The play was intense from the start, with both teams exchanging points. However, Brazil gradually built a lead. The final moments of the set saw Brazil tightening their control. A decisive attack from Wellington extended their lead to 24-20, and a subsequent Ukrainian attack error by Roman Pryshchepa handed Brazil the set and the match at 25-20.
Photo: WPV/Sinisa Kanizaj.
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