Juliana back in business as Fuzhou kicks-off World Tour
Former FIVB Beach Volleyball world champion Juliana Felisberta will mark her return to the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour at the Fuzhou Open after a year out of competition.
The tournament is the first in a World Tour calendar that features nine Grand Slams, 11 Open tournaments and for which points are accumulated from continental and domestic tours.
Juliana won the last of her seven World Tour titles in 2012 and the 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships with former partner Larissa Franca, but didn’t feature in 2013 following Larissa’s retirement at the end of 2012.
She will team up with Maria Antonelli in Fuzhou and they pair will be one of many teams aiming to take the crown of defending champions and compatriots, Talita Antunes and Taiana Lima.
The defending champions are in good form however and recently won gold at the South American Games, while Talita was named Queen of the Beach on the Brazilian Beach Volleyball Tour.
Also eyeing their title are April Ross and Kerri Walsh. The USA pair played on opposite sides of the net at the London 2012 final, but played three tournaments in 2013 and won two gold medals, at the Sao Paolo and Xiamen Grand Slams. Repeat victory
Chen Xue, one half of the 2013 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships winners will be out to mark another season with a win, a year after she and former partner Zhang Xi won the Fuzhou Open en route to victory at the World Championships.
She continues her partnership with Xia Xinyi, with whom she won the Phuket Open and Durban Open at the end of 2013.
