Martin Ermacora and Moritz Pristauz beat two American teams to make the main draw

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The Austrians overcame the wind to see off not one but two American teams

Austrians Martin Ermacora and Moritz Pristauz silenced the home fans on day one of the Fort Lauderdale Major as two wins over strong American teams saw them march into the main draw.

The European rising stars had only just arrived from a 16-hour flight from Dubai having taken part in the Kish Island tournament in Iran last week.

But the effects of a long-haul flight did not stop them from recording wins over firstly Trevor Crabb Skylar Del Sol (18-21, 21-13, 15-7) and then Billy Allen and Ryan Doherty (21-18, 21-23, 15-7).

“It was unreal,” said a delighted Ermacora. “We played in Kish and finished fifth and then had a hell of a journey to get here. We came directly here Dubai and we’re suffering from a bit of jetlag but we fought hard and got the results and that’s all that counts.”

Pristauz added: “It’s never easy playing on a home court against the Americans. There’s a such a huge crowd but there’s plenty of Austrians here so it was probably balanced out a bit.

“The wind was a factor but it was the same for both teams. It was better on one side of the court than the other but we tried to adapt our game but we kept the pressure on and got the win.”

The Austrians’ reward for their victories are a place in Pool D of the main draw where they could face another American team, Hyden/Brunner. However, their first match in the modified pool play will come against World Championship bronze medalists from Russia, Liamin/Krasilnikov.

Check out the full main draw here – and don’t forget to watch back all the game from the first day of action back on BeachStream.