Serbia's U23 men reach the opening Ventspils final

Serbia 3x3 players and staff pose together before the Nations League trip.

Serbia's U23 men completed Friday's group phase and reached the opening Nations League final in Ventspils.

The Serbian women lost 17-11 to hosts Latvia in their first game. Both national teams continue the three-day programme during the weekend.

Six players travelled with the men's team

Marko Đorđević and Aleksandar Topalović are part of the Serbian men's squad. Miloš Cvrkota and Vukašin Arsović also travelled to Latvia for the three tournaments.

Danilo Labović and Lazar Kovačević complete the six-player travelling group. Danilo Lukić leads the team, while Nikola Šućov works as his assistant.

Tihomir Todorov handles physical preparation. Nikola Bondžić provides physiotherapy during the event. Labović said Serbia entered the stop with first place and World Cup qualification in mind.

The women's squad contains six players

Anđela Marojević and Jovana Spasovski appear on the published women's list. Lejla Gluhavičanin and Simona Matić form another part of the travelling squad.

Marina Marčetić and Anđela Janić complete the group. Marčetić serves as captain. Marko Popadić leads the team, with Uroš Nešić working as his assistant.

Pavle Popović oversees physical preparation. Branka Mrkšić is the team's physiotherapist. Marčetić said the players knew their opponents and arrived in Latvia highly motivated.

The Serbian men earned a place in Friday's final

Serbia faced Ukraine and Romania during the opening men's group programme. Those games sent the Serbian team into the first daily final against Latvia.

Latvia reached that meeting after beating Switzerland and Poland in the other group. The final appearance kept Serbia near the top of the men's conference standings.

Serbia had led that table after the three earlier tournaments played in Riga. Each daily tournament has a separate group phase and its own final.

Latvia won the opening game against the Serbian women

The Serbian women began their Ventspils programme against the host nation. Latvia won that meeting 17-11 before also defeating Ukraine.

Serbia under-23 3x3 players stand together indoors.

Those two Latvian victories secured the hosts a place in the women's final. Serbia's second group opponent on Friday was Ukraine. The daily table covered only that tournament.

The Serbian women entered Ventspils after three earlier Nations League tournaments in Riga.

Popadić said the squad returned to Latvia with greater confidence than before.

Two more daily tournaments remain in Ventspils

The Serbian men meet Switzerland and Poland during Saturday's group programme. The women play Poland and Ukraine on the same day in a separate group.

Sunday places the men with Ukraine and Poland for the last daily tournament. The women's final group contains Latvia and Romania on the closing day.

Every morning begins with a new table. Earlier results do not carry into the next daily bracket. Group winners advance to the daily final after completing their two scheduled games.

The short format changes the rhythm of each game

A 3x3 game uses one basket and half of a basketball court. Three players start on court, while one substitute waits beside the playing area.

Possessions are short, so teams move quickly after rebounds and made baskets.

The format leaves little time for long pauses between attacking decisions. Serbia brought larger travelling groups because the stop contains three consecutive tournament days. Coaches can change the four-player match list as the weekend programme continues.

World Cup qualification remains the wider target

The conference standings combine results from every Nations League stop in this group.

The leading men's and women's teams qualify for the U23 World Cup in China.

Lukić said injuries complicated the men's selection before the trip to Ventspils. He added that World Cup qualification remained the main target for his squad.

Popadić expressed the same goal after the women's previous stop in Latvia. The remaining tournaments give both Serbian teams more results for the conference table.

Serbia 3x3 representatives place their hands together at a press event.

Six countries share the same European conference

Serbia competes with Latvia, Ukraine, Poland, Romania and Switzerland in this conference. The same six countries enter both competitions, but the two standings remain separate.

Ventspils hosts the second group of tournaments after the earlier programme in Riga. The Nations League games form part of the wider GGFEST weekend programme in Ventspils.

Results from each daily event add points to the wider conference ranking. Only the leading men's team and leading women's team take the conference places.

Those places lead to the U23 World Cup, scheduled for September in China.

The men's and women's brackets use the same venue without sharing results or table points. Both national-team programmes end after Sunday's scheduled games.

Serbia entered Ventspils near both leading groups

The Serbian men arrived as conference leaders after the earlier Riga tournaments.

Latvia followed closely, which gave Friday's men's final added importance for both teams.

Poland, Switzerland, Ukraine and Romania began the stop behind those two sides.

Latvia led the women's standings before the opening game against Serbia. Poland and Ukraine also stood ahead of the Serbian women before the Ventspils programme. Two remaining daily tournaments can still change both conference tables.

Players and coaches stated the same qualification goal

Labović welcomed another qualification stop before the men's team travelled to Latvia. He said Serbia wanted the best possible result across all three Ventspils tournaments.

Lukić acknowledged several injury problems during the final selection of his squad. The coach still kept World Cup qualification as the central goal for the men's team.

Marčetić said the women understood their opponents and trusted their preparation. Popadić also described a more confident squad after its previous visit to Latvia.