Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 13:14:26 EDT Subject: Smith/Henkel Upset Top Team In FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships Smith/Henkel Upset Top Team In FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships Marseille, France (July 22, 1999) - Sinjin Smith and Carl Henkel of the United States scored a 16-14 win over top-seeded Ze'Marco de Melo and Ricardo Santos of Brazil to highlight play here Thursday (July 22) in the $600,000 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships that were played under windy conditions on the Plage du Prado courts. Seeded 16th in the competition, Smith and Henkel advanced to a winner's bracket third-round match Friday against eighth-seeded Javier Bosma and Fabio Diez of Spain. Smith and Henkel will be shooting for their second win this season over the Spaniards after defeating Bosma and Diez 15-8 in Moscow June 25. Thursday's match was the first-ever between Smith/Henkel and Ze'Marco/Ricardo, who are the No. 1-ranked team on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. The Brazilians, who opened with a 15-9 win over 32nd-seeded Fosco Cicola and Simone Bendandi of Italy Thursday, will play an elimination match Friday morning against 31st-seeded Andrea Raffaelli/Maurizio Pimponi of Italy. "The wind leveled the playing field," said Smith after the match. "Ze'Marco and Ricardo are a very precise team that makes very few errors. However, the wind causes more errors that usual and you really have to be focused on the court. Carl had some big serves and we played extremely well." Smith, the oldest elite player in the world at 42 with 139 career beach titles, and Henkel placed fifth at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games where they fell one match short of playing for a medal. "The format for the this tournament is great for me. The games are stretched out over a four-day period. I have more time to rest and regain my legs. This was a great win for us today, especially by defeating a top-notch team like Ze'Marco and Ricardo." Joining Smith and Henkel with "major" upsets Thursday were 23rd-seeded Jose Salema and Mariano Baracetti of Argentina, who upset 10th-seeded Jan Kvalheim and Bjorn Maaseide of Norway 15-10 before handing 26th-seeded Nikolas Berger and Oliver Stamm of Austria a 15-9 defeat. Berger and Stamm had upset seventh-seeded Esteban Martinez and Martin Conde of Argentina 15-9 in Thursday's opening round. Seeds two through six also advanced unbeaten to Friday's third-round, including second-seeded Emanuel Scheffer/Jose Loiola of Brazil, third-seeded Para Ferreira/Guilherme Marques of Brazil, fourth-seeded John Child/Mark Heese of Canada, fifth-seeded Karch Kiraly/Adam Johnson of the United States and Martin and Paul Laciga of Switzerland. Para and Guilherme, who are the reigning FIVB Beach Volleyball World Champions after defeating Canyon Ceman and Mike Whitmarsh of the United States in the 1997 men's finale in Los Angeles, play Child and Heese. The Canadians were the Bronze Medallists at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. The men's competition opens Friday with second-round elimination matches. Sixteen (16) teams still remain in contention in the loser's bracket with Martinez and Conde playing ninth-seeded Jean-Philippe Jodard and Christian Penigaud of France Friday morning. Seventeenth-seeded Conrad Leinemann/Jody Holden of Canada challenge 15th-seeded Lee Zahner/Julien Prosser of Australia, 25th-seeded Stephane Canet/Mathieu Hamel, France face Berger/Stamm, 12th-seeded Eric Guissart/Guilherm Deulofeu of France play 11th-seeded Luis Maia/Joao Brenha of Portugal, 20th-seeded Oliver Oetke/Andreas Scheuerpflug, of Germany meet Dain Blanton/Eric Fonoimoana of the United States, 30th-seeded Mikhail Kouchnerev/Serguei Ermichin of Russia play 13th-seeded Robert Heidger/Kevin Wong of the United States and 27th-seeded Ian Clark/Bill Boullianne of the United States challenge 21st-seeded Jorg Ahmann/Axel Hager of Germany. Thursday's action drew over 10,000 spectators for the men's and women's competition on the five Plage du Prado courts under sunny skies (26ŚC) wtih 27-35 miles per hour wind gusts. Competition continues at 8 a.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday. The men's semi-finals will be played at 12 and 1 p.m. Sunday. The men's Bronze Medal match is scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday with the winning team earning $24,000 for third-place. The Gold Medal match will start at 5 p.m. Sunday with the final two teams battling for the $60,000 first-place prize. FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships Men's Main Draw Results Marseille, France (July 22, 1999) - Here are the Main Draw results from the first of four days of the 1999 men's FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships here Thursday (July 22). The $600,000 (US) FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, the eighth of 13 events on the 1999 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, concludes Sunday. Thursday's Winner's Bracket, First-Round + Ze'Marco de Melo/Ricardo Santos, Brazil (No. 1-seeded Main Draw Team) def. Fosco Cicola (seventh, none)/Simone Bendandi, Italy (32, No. 35-seeded Qualification Tournament Team), 15-9 (27 minutes); + Sinjin Smith/Carl Henkel, United States (16) def. Conrad Leinemann/Jody Holden, Canada (17), 15-12 (30); + Jean-Philippe Jodard/Christian Penigaud, France (9) def. Christoph Dieckmann/Markus Dieckmann, Germany (24), 15-9 (39) + Javier Bosma/Fabio Diez, Spain (8) def. Stephane Canet/Mathieu Hamel, France (25), 15-5 (30); + Karch Kiraly/Adam Johnson, United States (5) def. Dmitri Karassev/Sergey Sayfulin, Russia (28, 7), 15-4 (30); + Jorg Ahmann/Axel Hager, Germany (21) def. Eric Guissart/Guilherm Deulofeu, France (12), 15-8 (40); + Robert Heidger/Kevin Wong, United States (13) def. Oliver Oetke/Andreas Scheuerpflug, Germany (20, 4), 15-9 (40); + John Child/Mark Heese, Canada (4) def. Craig Seuseu/Thomas Eade, New Zealand (29, 5), 15-9 (39); + Para Ferreira/Guilherme Marques, Brazil (3) def. Mikhail Kouchnerev/Serguei Ermichin, Russia (30, 11), 15-8 (30); + Dain Blanton/Eric Fonoimoana, United States (19) def. Tande Ramos/Giovane Gavio, Brazil (14, 1), 15-8 (30); + Luis Maia/Joao Brenha, Portugal (11) def. Jorre Kjemperud/Vegard Hoidalen, Norway (22), 15-5 (19); + Paul Laciga/Martin Laciga, Switzerland (6) vs. Ian Clark/Bill Boullianne, United States (27), 15-13 (45); + Nikolas Berger/Oliver Stamm, Austria (26, 18) def. Esteban Martinez/Martin Conde, Argentina (7), 15-9 (33); + Jose Salema/Mariano Baracetti, Argentina (23) def. Jan Kvalheim/Bjorn Maaseide, Norway (10), 15-10 (37); + Lee Zahner/Julien Prosser, Australia (15) def. Joel Sotelo/Juan Ibarra, Mexico (18), 15-10 (30); + Emanuel Scheffer/Jose Loiola, Brazil (2) def. Andrea Raffaelli/Maurizio Pimponi, Italy (31, 8), 15-8 (39). Thursday's Winner's Bracket, Second-Round + Sinjin Smith/Carl Henkel, United States (16) def. Ze'Marco de Melo/Ricardo Santos, Brazil (1) , 16-14 (50); + Javier Bosma/Fabio Diez, Spain (8) def. Jean-Philippe Jodard/Christian Penigaud, France (9), 15-12 (50; + Karch Kiraly/Adam Johnson, United States (5) def. Jorg Ahmann/Axel Hager, Germany (21), 15-7 (30); + John Child/Mark Heese, Canada (4) def. Robert Heidger/Kevin Wong, United States (13), 15-11 (35); + Para Ferreira/Guilherme Marques, Brazil (3) def. Dain Blanton/Eric Fonoimoana, United States (19), 15-13 (38); + Paul Laciga/Martin Laciga, Switzerland (6) def. Luis Maia/Joao Brenha, Portugal (11), 15-7 (28); + Jose Salema/Mariano Baracetti, Argentina (23) def. Nikolas Berger/Oliver Stamm, Austria (26, 18), 15-9 (28); + Emanuel Scheffer/Jose Loiola, Brazil (2) def. Lee Zahner/Julien Prosser, Australia (15), 15-8 (28). Thursday's Loser's Bracket, First-Round (losers eliminated, place 25th, split $3,000) + Conrad Leinemann/Jody Holden, Canada (17) def. Fosco Cicola/Simone Bendandi, Italy (32, 35), 15-7 (20); + Stephane Canet/Mathieu Hamel, France (25) def. Christoph Dieckmann/Markus Dieckmann, Germany (24), 15-11 (26) + Eric Guissart/Guilherm Deulofeu, France (12) def. Dmitri Karassev/Sergey Sayfulin, Russia (28, 7), 15-7 (20); + Oliver Oetke/Andreas Scheuerpflug, Germany (20, 4) def. Craig Seuseu/Thomas Eade, New Zealand (29, 5), 15-12 (39); + Mikhail Kouchnerev/Serguei Ermichin, Russia (30, 11) def. Tande Ramos/Giovane Gavio, Brazil (14, 1), 15-12 (30); + Ian Clark/Bill Boullianne, United States (27) def. Jorre Kjemperud/Vegard Hoidalen, Norway (22), 15-11 (40). + Esteban Martinez/Martin Conde, Argentina (7) def. Jan Kvalheim/Bjorn Maaseide, Norway (10), 15-7 (26); + Andrea Raffaelli/Maurizio Pimponi, Italy (31, 8) def. Joel Sotelo/Juan Ibarra, Mexico (18), 15-6 (26). Friday's Winner's Bracket, Third-Round Schedule + Sinjin Smith/Carl Henkel, United States (16) vs. Javier Bosma/Fabio Diez, Spain (8); + Karch Kiraly/Adam Johnson, United States (5) vs. John Child/Mark Heese, Canada (4); + Para Ferreira/Guilherme Marques, Brazil (3) vs. Paul Laciga/Martin Laciga, Switzerland (6); + Jose Salema/Mariano Baracetti, Argentina (23) vs. Emanuel Scheffer/Jose Loiola, Brazil (2). Friday's Loser's Bracket, Second-Round (losers eliminated, place 17th, split $4,500) + Conrad Leinemann/Jody Holden, Canada (17) vs. Lee Zahner/Julien Prosser, Australia (15); + Stephane Canet/Mathieu Hamel, France (25) vs. Nikolas Berger/Oliver Stamm, Austria (26, 18); + Eric Guissart/Guilherm Deulofeu, France (12) winner vs. Luis Maia/Joao Brenha, Portugal (11); + Oliver Oetke/Andreas Scheuerpflug, Germany (20, 4) vs. Dain Blanton/Eric Fonoimoana, United States (19); + Mikhail Kouchnerev/Serguei Ermichin, Russia (30, 11) vs. Robert Heidger/Kevin Wong, United States (13); + Ian Clark/Bill Boullianne, United States (27) vs. Jorg Ahmann/Axel Hager, Germany (21); + Esteban Martinez/Martin Conde, Argentina (7) vs. Jean-Philippe Jodard/Christian Penigaud, France (9); + Andrea Raffaelli/Maurizio Pimponi, Italy (31, 8) vs. Ze'Marco de Melo/Ricardo Santos, Brazil (1). -END-