Brazilian powerhouses make their way to top-16 grid - 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Championship
The cracking action of beach volleyball is going on in Italian city Rome during this week. The 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Championship started off on June 13 and it is scheduled to cover its length at the weekend.
Playing on Thursday in the Main-Draw stage, three Brazilian duos performed exquisitely well and reserved berths in the top-sixteen round.
Following three women’s pairings from Brazil clinched success at the 32-team Main-Draw stage:
Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca Maria Clara Salgado and Carol Salgado Talita Antues and Maria Antonelli Juliana/Larissa
The top-seeded tandem of Juliana and Larissa of Brazil advanced to the top-sixteen round by posting 2-0 (21-16, 21-15) victory over 46th-seeded Swiss duo of Muriel Graessli and Tanja Goricanec. Three-time SWATCH FIVB World Tour Champions Juliana/Larissa
started out well. They were equipped with all necessary tools and tricks of the game to deal with the opponents. The elegant play of hard spikes and amazing cut-shots started and Brazilian side promptly went up.
They killed points after points and built a strong lead over the Swiss team. The opponents resisted in the early half of the set but then became irresistible. The incredible coverage of the court by Juliana/Larissa barred them to score any points. Juliana
and Larissa finished the opening set in a fitting manner.
Second set of the game also had some sort symmetry with the previous set. Powerful Brazilian duo launched authority over rivals and dragged them under-pressure. Throughout the second set, Swiss pair struggled for points but most of their efforts went futile.
Final word was given in the favour of Juliana and Larissa in 35th minute of the game. Success in the Main-Draw allowed Juliana/Larissa to earn the rights to play in the next stage of the tournament.
The Salgado Sisters were victorious over Czech Republic’s Marketa Slukova and Kristyna Kolocova in two straight sets. The Brazilian team edged out opponents by posting 2-0 (21-17, 21-14) on board. The fancy pairing of Salgado Sisters opened the match on
a high note and went straight into action after the first whistle of referee. Strong jump-serves rolled over the net and created much trouble for the Czech tandem. Carolina was expert in throwing serves at various lengths. The short length serves quickly touched
the sand as there was no chance for digging them. Slukova/Kolocova dropped first set with a margin of 4 points.
The second set also came successful for Brazilians. They remained on the winning course and displayed another wonderful show of volleys in the second set. The duo from Czech Republic played under-pressure and committed too many unforced mistakes, which led
them to the loss of second set. Maria Clara and Carolina successfully carved their names in the top-16 grid of teams.
The 2nd-seeded Brazilian pairing of Maria Antonelli and Talita Antunes also joined the top-16 group of teams at the 2011 SWATCH FIVB World Championship on Thursday. They overpowered 44th-seeded duo from Czech Republic, which comprised of Sona Novakova and
Tereza Tobiasova. The match spanned over three sets and continued for 53 minutes. It was full of ups and downs, which created a great thrill for the spectators. Both teams staged a fine play of beach volleyball and showed their thirst for victory. Eventually,
victory graced Brazilian duo as they built a score of 21-19, 21-23 and 15-11.
In addition to these three Brazilian duos, the 9th-seeded Vivian Cunha and Taiana Lima also clawed their way to the Main-Draw stage. They had great plans to make further progress but American Lauren Fendrick and Brook Hanson crushed their dreams and edged
them out. They claimed the Main-Draw match by posting 25-23, 22-20 in 44 minutes, while Cunha/Lima were eliminated.
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