Brazilians Battle Argentina & USA In Italian Open Semi-Finals Sunday; Para & Guilherme Set to Defend Their Title
Lignano Sabbiadoro (July 17, 1999) - FIVB Beach Volleyball World Champions Para Ferreira and Guilherme Marques of Brazil and the Argentineans Esteban Martinez and Martin Conde won both of their matches here Saturday (July 17) to advance to the semi-finals of the $170,000 Italian Open with unbeaten records where they will be challenged by teams from the United States and Brazil Sunday morning.
Para and Guilherme, who will play 14th-seeded Rob Heidger and Kevin Wong of the United States in Sunday's first semi-final match at 10 a.m., advanced to their fourth "final four" of 1999 and the 26th of their partnership by defeating top-seeded Ze'Marco de Melo and Ricardo Santos of Brazil 15-9 win in 65 minutes.
Seeded fifth in the competition, Para and Guilherme opened Saturday's play with a 15-8 win in 42 minues over 13th-seeded Jan Kvalheim and Bjorn Maaseide of Norway. Para and Guilherme are the defending Italian Open champions after defeating Martin and Paul Laciga of Switzerland 12-6 and 12-8 in the 1998 Gold Medal match. Para and Guilherme will also defend their World Championship next week in Marseille, France.
\
The seventh-seeded Martinez and Conde, who will play fourth-seeded Emanuel Scheffer and Jose Loiola of Brazil in the second semi-final, advanced with a 15-9 win in 45 minutes over Heidger and Wong. The Argentineans opened Saturday with a 15-13 win in 57 minutes over 15th-seeded Dain Blanton and Eric Fonoimoana of the United States. Martinez and Conde are playing in their third semi-final this season and 22nd of their career together..
Emanuel and Loiola, who defeated Para and Guilherme 15-13 to win last week's Norwegian Open, had to win four loser's bracket matches Saturday to advance to their fifth semi-final this season and 13th in their career together with a 15-8 win in 50 minutes over Ze'Marco and Ricardo, who were denied their first "final four" berth this season in eight trys.
Heidger and Wong, who have rebounded from a 17th-place finish in Norway, advanced to their second semi-final in five events together this season. The United States tandem upset eighth-seeded Javier Bosma and Fabio Diez of Spain 15-7 in 40 minutes to earn a meeting with Para and Guilherme Sunday. Heidger and Wong posted a third last month in Canada together for their best FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour finish.
Italians Fabio Galli and Andrea Benabe finished as the seventh annual Italian Open "surprise" team as the pair tied for 13th in the Main Draw. Galli and Benabe won four of five Qualification Tournament matches to advance to the "money rounds." Seeded 78th out of 81 total teams in the tournament, Galli and Bernabe were the top finishing Italians as the pair dropped a 15-2 decision Saturday morning to Bosma and Diez. Galli and Bernabe finished the Italian Open with a 6-3 match mark in their first-ever FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event together.
All six of Galli and Bernabe's wins were upset victories, including a 15-8 elimination decision in 62 minutes Friday over second-seeded Karch Kiraly and Adam Johnson of the United States. It was the earliest international beach departure for Kiraly, who had never finished lower than ninth in a FIVB event. Kiraly won the Gold Medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games with Kent Steffes.
Sunday's semi-final matches will start at 10 a.m. The Bronze Medal match is scheduled for 3 p.m. where the winning team shares $15,000 for third-place. The Gold Medal match will start at 4:30 p.m. where the final two teams battle for the $30,000 first-place prize.
Following the seventh annual Italian Open, the international competition moves to Marseille, France for the $600,000 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships starting Monday. The event, which will feature both men's and women's competition, concludes July 24 for the women and July 25 for the men. The winning teams at the World Championships will net the Gold Medal and the $60,000 first-place prize.
More than 40,000 spectators (30 degrees C) viewed the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event Saturday that serves as qualification tournament for the 2000 Sydney Games where a total of 24 teams for both men and women battle for the Olympic Gold.
Italian Open Main Draw Results
Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy (July 17, 1999) - Here are the results from the second of three days of men's Main Draw competition in the Italian Open here Saturday (July 17). The $170,000 (US) Italian Open, the seventh of 13 men's events on the 1999 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, concludes Sunday.
Winner's Bracket, third-round - Ze'Marco-Ricardo, BRA (No. 1-seeded Main Draw Team) def. Salema-Baracetti, ARG (25, 15-9 (55)); Para-Guilherme, BRA (5) def. Kvalheim-Maaseide, NOR (13), 15-8 (42); R. Heidger-Wong, USA (14) vs. Child-Heese, CAN (6), 15-9 (45); Martinez-Conde, ARG (7) def. Blanton-Fonoimoana, USA (15, No. 7-seeded Qualification Tournament Team), 15-13 (57).
Loser's Bracket, third-round (losers eliminated, place 13th, split $3,000) - Bosma-Diez, ESP (8) def. F. Galli-Bernabe, ITA (32, 54), 15-2 (31); Holden-Leinemann, CAN (20) def. Maia-Brenha POR (11), 15-11 (67); Emanuel-Loiola, BRA (4) def. Prosser-Zahner, AUS (22), 15-8 (55); Sinjin Smith-Henkel, USA (18) def. Ahmann-Hager, GER (23), 15-9 (58).
Winner's Bracket, fourth-round (winners advance to Sunday's semi-finals) - Para-Guilherme, BRA (5) def. Ze'Marco-Ricardo, BRA (1), 15-11 (65); Martinez-Conde, ARG (7) def. R. Heidger-Wong, USA (14), 15-9 (45).
Loser's Bracket, fourth-round (losers eliminated, place ninth, split $4,500) - Bosma-Diez, ESP (8) def. Kvalheim-Maaseide, NOR (13), 15-4 (35); Salema-Baracetti, ARG (25) def. Holden-Leinemann, CAN (20), 15-7 (73); Emanuel-Loiola, BRA (4) def. Blanton-Fonoimoana, USA (15, 7), 15-7 (42); Child-Heese, CAN (6) def. Sinjin Smith-Henkel, USA (18), 15-9 (65).
Loser's Bracket, fifth-round (losers eliminated, place seventh, split $6,000) - Bosma-Diez, ESP (8) def. Salema-Baracetti, ARG (25), 15-12 (60); Emanuel-Loiola, BRA (4) def. Child-Heese, CAN (6), 15-9 (60).
Loser's Bracket, sixth-round (winners advance to Sunday's semi-finals; losers eliminated, place fifth, split $8,000) - R. Heidger/Wong, USA (14) def. Bosma-Diez, ESP (8), 15-7 (40); Emanuel-Loiola, BRA (4) def. Ze'Marco-Ricardo, BRA (1), 15-8 (50).
Semi-finals (Sunday, 10 a.m.) - Para-Guilherme, BRA (5) vs. R. Heidger/Wong, USA (14); Martinez-Conde, ARG (7) vs. Emanuel-Loiola, BRA (4).
Bronze Medal Match (3 p.m. Sunday; winners place third; split $15,000; losers place fourth, split $11,000) - Semi-final losers.
Gold Medal Match (4:30 p.m. Sunday; winners place first; split $30,000; losers place second, split $20,000) - Semi-final winners.
-END- |