The day of the presentation of the Caixabank tournament for mixed couples were on everyone’s lips for the experience and potential they had as a combination. At 40 years old, Olaizola II had a companion like Zabaleta behind him who provides many guarantees and, as the striker himself has recognized on more than one occasion, it is that the most differences he has made in the last year. The merger was understood as a reward for a player who throughout his long career he has had to shoulder his shoulders countless times when playing in inferiority in the long frames. However, its start was not as expected. Two defeats in a row raised doubts. But the reaction has been immediate. For the fifth day the Navarrese have submitted their candidacy to the tournament again.
The veteran took a little time to catch the tone after the break. The years do not go in vain. But a return as hasty as the one experienced by the professional hand ball made the striker accuse the lack of rhythm in the first matches. Back, Etxarren’s also had to adapt to a teammate with whom he had played on rare occasions throughout previous summer seasons and the results had not been very satisfactory.
On the first day they starred in an intense duel against Peña II and Martija in which the physical background played a leading role and the youngest took the cat to the water. In the second they found another of the fittest combinations at the moment -Artola-Rezusta-, which also has a lot of gunpowder on their hands. Despite the defeat, Olaizola II and Zabaleta have already begun to show signs of improvement.
In the good way
And in the third game they smiled again. They were not worried because they are aware that championships of these characteristics are a long-distance race in which regularity prevails, but the victory removed any ghost. The calendar favored them because they faced the combination that occupies the last place in the competition -Laso, substitute then for Urrutikoetxea, and Irribarria- and that allowed them to take a breath. Before Elezkano II and Aretxabaleta they had no problems either. Both duels served for Goizueta’s to regain sensations on the court, while his teammate finally settled in the long frames.
Last weekend they made their evolution clear to a very regular couple like Altuna III and Imaz. They had to suffer to come back after a troubled start and with errors, but in the second part his best version served to win and enter the ointment of a classification that has become interesting with six couples with options to everything.
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