Dutch delight for Marleen Van Iersel (left) and Sanne Keizer of the Netherlands after an upset win over Brazil | Brasília, Brazil, April 22, 2009 - Sara Montagnolli and Barbara Hansel of Austria joined two teams from the United States, and one tandem from Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland in winning two matches each here Wednesday during the first-day of Main Draw competition for the season-opening event on the 2009 SWATCH FIVB World Tour.
Seeded 25th in the US$380,000 Banco do Brasil presents the KIA Open, Montagnolli and Hansel posted a pair of upsets Wednesday to advance as one of eight unbeaten women’s teams in the SWATCH FIVB World Tour event where the Austrians face top-seeded Jen Kessy and April Ross in their first match Thursday.
After posting a 16-21, 21-16 and 15-12 win in 54 minutes over eighth-seeded Nila Ann Hakedal and Ingrid Tørlen of Norway, Montagnolli and Hansel continued their winning ways by defeating the ninth-seeded Schwaiger sisters (Doris and Stefanie) 19-21, 21-18 and 17-15 in a 60-minute All-Austrian match. It was the first-time the two teams have met on the FIVB tour since 2004 with Montagnolli and Hansel now holding a 2-1 edge in the series.
With 16 other women’s teams remaining in the double-elimination competition with one defeat each, including five from host Brazil, the women’s semi-finals will be played Friday afternoon followed by Saturday morning medal matches. The men’s semi-finals are Saturday with the podium placement matches Sunday. The winning teams will share the $30,000 first-place prizes.
Second-seeded Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs joined Kessy and Ross as the second American pair advancing in the winner’s bracket. Kessy and Ross, who won the last two events on the 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour in Thailand and China, opened play Wednesday with two-set victories over teams from Brazil and Georgia. Branagh and Youngs, who placed fifth in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, defeated teams from Mexico and Greece to advance unbeaten.
Branagh and Youngs will play 23rd-seeded Simone Kuhn and Nadine Zumkehr as the Swiss pair also posted a pair of seed-break-throughs wins Wednesday by upsetting 10th-seeded Lauren Fendrick and Ashley Ivy of the United States 23-21 and 21-19 in 45 minutes and seventh-seeded Maria Antonelli and Talita Antunes of Brazil 21-17 and 24-22 in 43 minutes.
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ifth-seeded Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca was the only Brazilian team to post two wins Wednesday with victories over pairs from Russia and Belgium. Juliana, who is returning to competition after missing the last half of the 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour season due to knee surgery, and Larissa will play 13th-seeded Marleen Van Iersel and Sanne Keizer of the Netherlands. The Dutch women scored a 17-21, 21-19 and 18-16 victory in 59 minutes over the fourth-seeded Salgado sisters (Carolina and Maria Clara) of Brazil.
Eleventh-seeded Laura Ludwig/Sara Goller of Germany and 14th-seeded Karin Lundquist/Angelica Ljungquist of Sweden posted upset wins over teams from Brazil in their second matches Wednesday to advance to a Thursday confrontation against each other. The Swedes have won the previous two FIVB matches against Goller and Ludwig, who placed ninth in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Lundquist and Ljungquist scored a 12-21, 23-21 and 16-14 win in 62 minutes over third-seeded Shelda Bede and Ana Paula Connelly, the 2008 point’s champions on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour. Goller and Ludwig posted a 21-14 and 21-14 victory in 39 minutes over sixth-seeded Renata Ribeiro and Vanilda Leão.
After
the Brasília stop, the 2009 SWATCH FIVB World Tour calendar continues with a double gender event in the China (Shanghai, April 28-May 3) before single gender events in Italy (men, Rome, May 12-17), Japan (women, Osaka, May 19-24), Korea (women, Seoul, May 26-31) and Poland (men, Myslowice, May 26-31). | 
