With five of the eight Round of 16 matches of the women’s tournament being decided in three sets, eight duos from six different nations advanced to the quarter-finals of the A1 Major Vienna presented by Swatch.
The second elimination round of the last Beach Major Series tournament of the season had a pair of national match-ups and Agatha Bednarczuk and Duda Lisboa came out on top of the Brazilian one as they downed Ana Patrícia Ramos and Rebecca Cavalcanti 21-19, 21-19. They will fight for a semi-final spot with Germans Laura Ludwig and Maggie Kozuch, who eliminated their compatriots Bárbara Seixas and Fernanda Berti with a 21-13, 29-27 triumph.
In the All-American duel, qualifiers Kelley Larsen and Emily Stockman came from behind to defeat Kelly Claes and Sarah Sponcil 14-21, 21-16, 15-10. In the quarterfinals they’ll face Brazilians Carolina Salgado and Maria Elisa Antonelli, who also needed all three sets (21-16, 19-21, 15-9) to overcome the Netherlands’ Marleen van Iersel and Joy Stubbe.
World champions Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes eliminated the last Austrian team standing, the one of Lena Plesiutschnig and Katharina Schützenhöfer, with a 21-14, 21-16 win inside the Red Bull Beach Arena. The Canadians will now a play a rematch of the World Championships semi-final with Swiss Nina Betschart and Tanja Hüberli, who downed Poland’s Kinga Wojtasik and Katarzyna Kociolek 21-13, 21-18.
Reigning Vienna Major champions Marketa Slukova and Barbora Hermannová also are in contention after they upset world number ones April Ross and Alix Klineman of the United States 13-21, 21-19, 16-14. The Czechs will meet Talita Antunes and Taiana Lima for a spot in the semifinals as the Brazilians prevailed over China’s Fan Wang and Xinyi Xia 19-21, 21-16, 15-11.
The quarter-finals of the Vienna Major are set to happen on Friday while the semifinals and the medal matches are scheduled for Saturday, the last day of the women’s tournament.
