Beijing, China, August 17, 2008 - The top two-seeded teams from China and the United States in the women’s Beach Volleyball competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games secured their spots in the “final four” here Sunday morning at the 12,200-seat Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground. Led by reigning Olympic champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States and top-seeded Jia Tian and Jie Wang of China, Sunday’s first two quarter-final winners will be watching during the Chaoyang Park evening session to learn their opposition for Tuesday’s semi-finals as teams from Australia, Brazil, China and United States vie for the final two “final four” spots. In winning their 12-straight Olympic matches since the Athens 2004 Summer Games, the second-seeded May-Treanor and Walsh advanced to the Beijing 2008 Olympics semi-finals with a 21-18 and 21-15 win in 41 minutes over third-seeded Ana Paula Connelly and Larissa Franca of Brazil. While the Americans were playing in their 59th international Beach Volleyball event since 2001, the Brazilian were forced to play together for the first-time at the Beijing 2008 Olympics when Larissa’s regular partner Juliana Felisberta Silva withdrew from the Summer Games two days before the start of the competition due to a right knee injury. “We were so excited to win,” said Walsh, who turned 30 two days ago. “I was nervous. We have faced them so many times (with different partners). They are among the best players in the world. Misty and I played well and kept the ball under control. The match was not easy since Ana Paula and Larissa have the ability to come back at any time.” May-Treanor and Walsh have now won 67-straight FIVB matches since losing in June 2007 to Tian and Wang in a semi-final match (21-19 and 21-19) in Stavanger, Norway. Since winning a bronze medal at the 2006 season finale in Thailand, the Americans have posted an 80-1 match mark on the international tour with 10 gold medals in 11 events. Tian and Wang secured their spot in the semi-finals with a 21-12 and 21-12 victory in 41 minutes over the 18th-seeded Schwaiger sisters (Doris and Stephanie) of Austria. While the Chinese will be looking for their fourth gold medal at an “open” FIVB event, May-Treanor and Walsh have netted a record 34 international titles together. During Sunday’s second session, fourth-seeded Chen Xue and Xi Zhang of China confront fifth-seeded Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs of the United States for a semi-final spot opposite of Tian and Wang. An All-Chinese semi-final match will assure the host country an Olympic Beach Volleyball medal for the first-time. A win by the Americans would continue Youngs’ drive for a second podium placement after placing third in Athens with Holly McPeak. May-Treanor and Walsh, who have lost only 10 times in their last of 235 FIVB matches since June 2003, will play either sixth-seeded Talita Antunes/Renata Ribeiro of Brazil or 10th-seeded Tamsin Barnett/Natalie Cook of Australia in the semi-finals. The Brazilians will be trying to maintain their country’s streak of having at least one team in an Olympic women’s semi-final as the South Americans have won five of the nine women’s Summer Games medals presented to date. Cook will be seeking her fourth-straight Olympic “final four” appearance with her third different Summer Games partner. Cook won medals in Atlanta (bronze) and Sydney (gold) with Kerri Pottharst, and place fourth in Athens with Nicole Sanderson. Cook joins Martin Conde of Argentina and Emanuel Rego of Brazil as the only players to compete in all four Beach Volleyball Olympics. |
