Elite16 – Newport Beach, USA – 2025
Olympic champions Eduarda ‘Duda’ Lisboa and Ana Patrícia Ramos are gearing up for a thrilling final day at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite event in Newport Beach. On Saturday, they will find themselves competing against the formidable home crowd, as they challenge three strong American duos for the coveted gold medal in California.
Duda and Ana Patrícia are making their fifth consecutive Beach Pro Tour semifinal appearance.
The semifinal schedule pits Duda and Ana Patrícia against American pair Julia Donlin and Lexy Denaburg at 12:00 local time (19:00 GMT). An hour earlier, an all-American showdown will feature Taryn Brasher and Kristen Nuss battling Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft. The winners of these highly anticipated matches will then vie for the championship title at 16:00 (23:00 GMT).
Demonstrating their consistent high performance, Duda and Ana Patrícia secured their spot in the Newport Beach semifinals – marking their fifth consecutive semifinal appearance on the Beach Pro Tour. In Friday’s quarterfinals, they emerged victorious from an all-Brazilian contest against FIVB World Ranking leaders Thamela Coradello and Victoria Lopes, winning in straight sets (21-15, 21-19) to advance to the medal rounds.
Their upcoming opponents, Donlin and Denaburg, endured the most demanding day among all semifinalists on Friday. They played two matches to earn their first Elite event semifinal berth as a team (and their second overall, having finished fourth at the Warmia Mazury Challenge in June). Both of their victories against American rivals required three sets: they first overcame the Chacon sisters, Alaina and Morgan, 2-1 (18-21, 21-15, 15-11) in the Round of 12, then mounted a remarkable comeback to defeat Kelly Cheng and Molly Shaw in a tie-breaker (19-21, 21-17, 15-10) in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Brasher and Nuss have maintained an impeccable campaign in Newport Beach, reaching the semifinals without dropping a single set. They decisively swept their quarterfinal match against Brazilian Olympians Carol Salgado and Rebecca Cavalcanti, securing a straight-sets victory (21-16, 21-15).
Match Schedule & Results: Beach Pro Tour Newport Beach Elite
Also undefeated are Cannon and Kraft, who faced a challenging Friday to preserve their perfect record. They demonstrated resilience by coming from behind to defeat fellow Americans Hailey Harward and Molly Phillips in a tie-breaker (18-21, 21-12, 15-12) during their quarterfinal match, setting the stage for an exciting semifinal clash.
Oliver Wrenwick