Brasília, Brazil, April 25, 2009 - Returning to international Beach Volleyball competition for the first-time since August, Juliana Felisberta Silva regained the top spot on a SWATCH FIVB World Tour podium here Saturday morning with Larissa Franca as the Brazilians avenged a Thursday setback to win the US$380,000 Banco do Brasil presents the KIA Open gold medal. The fifth-seeded Brazilians collected their 22nd SWATCH FIVB World Tour gold medal in 36 international finales as Juliana and Larissa posted a 21-18 and 21-18 win in 44 minutes over Jen Kessy and April Ross of the United States. Late Thursday, the Americans had defeated Juliana and Larissa 20-22, 21-14 and 15-11 in a 54-minute match in the winter’s bracket quarter-finals. “The new Juliana looked like the old Juliana,” said Ross, who was playing in her fourth-straight SWATCH FIVB World Tour finale with Kessy. “She appeared to getting strong as the tournament progressed. She displayed the same quickness and agility as we are accustomed to seeing from her. She is back and will get strong as the season progresses.” All, but certain, to appear in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games with Larissa, Juliana hurt her right knee last June in the first match at the SWATCH Grand Slam event in Paris. After more than a month of rehab, Juliana returned for the Austrian Grand Slam where she and Larissa placed fifth after forfeiting their last match. After several training sessions in Beijing, Juliana withdrew two days before Olympics to return to Brazil for surgery. Larissa played with Ana Paula Connelly in the Chinese capital as the pair placed fifth after being eliminated by eventual Olympic champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States. “I feel great, especially with another title,” said Juliana, who was named the SWATCH most outstanding player for the KIA Open. “With each match at each event, I am getting stronger. Larissa along with my coaches and trainers has really helped me the past few months. It was a great disappointment to miss the Olympics, but this is now in the past. I am only looking ahead to the future and the world championships in Norway.” The 2009 SWATCH FIVB World Championships presented by ConocoPhillips are scheduled for June 25-July 5 in Stavanger, Norway. Juliana and Larissa have earned silver (Berlin 2005) and bronze (Gstaad, Switzerland 2007) medals at the SWATCH FIVB World Championships, which are held every other season on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour.
Juliana and Larissa, who now have a 5-2 match mark against Kessy and Ross, have now won four of the past five SWATCH FIVB World Tour season opening events. The Brazilians also collected titles at SWATCH season openers in China (2005), Italy (2006) and Australia (2008). Juliana and Larissa did not compete in the 2007 opener in Shanghai.
In the bronze medal match, 11th-seeded Sara Goller and Laura Ludwig scored a 21-18 and 32-30 win over the second-seeded Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs in 55 minutes. Goller and Ludwig shared the $15,000 third-place prize while Branagh and Youngs split $11,200 for fourth-place |
