Brazilians Post “Perfect” Keihan/SMFG Japan Open Main Draw Mark

Sara Montagnolli's efforts Thursday earn a perfect match mark Thursday

Osaka, Japan, May 21, 2009 - It was a “perfect” day for teams from Beach Volleyball power Brazil here Thursday as all four tandems from the South American country combined to win eight Main Draw matches at the US$190,000 Keihan/SMFG Japan Open in the Nakanoshima district.

Pairs from Austria, Germany, Greece and the United States also posted opening 2-0 marks each to advance to Friday’s SWATCH FIVB World Tour schedule as 16 other tandems remain in the Keihan/SMFG Japan Open competition with one setback each in the double-elimination competition.

Friday’s Keihan/SMFG Japan Open schedule will feature 22 matches when the first two semi-final teams will be determined.  Two elimination rounds will be played Saturday to decide the last two “final four” berths along with setting Sunday’s schedule where the final two teams will compete for the $30,000 first-place prize.

The Brazilian teams of top-seeded Juliana Felisberta Silva/Larissa Franca and the second-seeded Salgado sisters (Carolina and Maria Clara) will play pairs from Germany and the United States, respectively, to open winner’s bracket play Friday morning while former Beijing 2008 Olympic partners Talita Antunes and Renata Ribeiro will challenge each other with different partners.

After winning a qualifying match Wednesday to earn a Keihan/SMFG Japan Open Main Draw berth, the fourth-seeded Renata and Vanilda Leao will play the fifth-seeded Talita and Maria Antonelli in an opening match Friday.  This will be the first international meeting between the two teams as Talita and Antonelli won the last SWATCH event in Shanghai while Renata and Leao have placed fifth in the first two FIVB stops this season.

The All-Brazilian opening match victors will challenge the winners from a match between Juliana/Larissa and 24th-seeded Claudia Lehmann/Julia Sude of Germany.  Like Renata and Leao, the Germans had to win a qualifying match Wednesday to advance to the Main Draw where Lehmann and Sude defeated teams from Japan and Finland Thursday.

Joining Lehmann and Sude in making “major” break-throughs Thursday were the teams of 26th-seeded Angie Akers/Tyra Turner of the United States and 27th-seeded Barbara Hansel/Sara Montagnolli of Austria, who received a “wild card” berth for the Keihan/SMFG Japan Open.  All three teams posted seed-break-through wins Thursday.

With 14th-seeded Maria Tsiartsiani and Vassiliki Arvaniti dropping third-seeded Ying Huang and Xi Zhang China into the elimination bracket after a three-set win Thursday afternoon, the Greeks will play Hansel and Montagnolli while Akers and Turner challenge the Salgados.