Svozilova & Stochlova’s Thrilling Battle Against Carol & Barbara Kicks Off Joao Pessoa Main Draw

The opening day of the women`s main draw at Joao Pessoa Elite16 saw Hegeile & Vitoria achieve the sole upset, while Svozilova & Stochlova came agonizingly close to surprising Brazilian favorites Carol & Rebecca.

Carol on the block against Stochlova

In the most captivating match of the first leg of pool play at the Joao Pessoa Elite16 on the Beach Pro Tour, Czechia’s Marketa Svozilova and Marie-Sara Stochlova pushed Brazilian home favorites Carol Solberg and Rebecca Cavalcanti to a decisive third-set tie-breaker. Despite their valiant effort, they fell just short of upsetting the world’s number two team. The only actual upset of the day occurred when Vitoria Rodrigues and Hegeile Almeida, a lower-seeded Brazilian pair, celebrated victory over French Olympians Clemence Vieira and Aline Chamereau.

Svozilova and Stochlova, seeded 14th, made a strong comeback in their Pool B opening game against 11th-seeded Carol and Rebecca. They leveled the match after losing the first set, forcing a tie-breaker. The Czech duo even reached a double match point, but the powerful Brazilians held on to win in overtime with a score of 2-1 (21-14, 18-21, 17-15). Carol was the top scorer with 21 points, including two aces and two block kills.

On Friday, Carol and Barbara will face second-seeded Americans Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher to contend for first place in their pool and a direct ticket to the second elimination round. Nuss and Brasher secured a dominant 2-0 (21-14, 21-13) victory over Brazilian qualifiers Verena Figueira de Oliveira and Kyce Mikaele Martins Silva in their opening game. Verena and Kyce will then meet Svozilova and Stochlova in a crucial match for survival in the competition.

Key Upset in Pool C

In Pool C, the 15th-seeded pair Victoria and Hegeile delivered the only upset during the first round of women`s pool play. The Brazilian home team achieved a convincing 2-0 (21-18, 21-11) win against 10th-seeded Vieira and Chamereau of France. Hegeile was a standout performer, contributing a match-high 19 points, including six block kills and two aces. This Brazilian duo will now challenge third-seeded Latvians Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova in the pool winners’ match. Graudina and Samoilova were pushed to a tie-breaker by another Brazilian team, qualifiers Carol Horta and Elize Maia, but ultimately secured a decisive 2-1 (21-18, 14-21, 15-4) victory.

Other Pool Highlights

Thursday also saw a tie-breaker in Pool A, where Spain’s Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno (12th seed) emerged victorious with a 2-1 (21-14, 17-21, 15-10) score against USA’s Julia Donlin and Lexy Denaburg (13th seed). In the other Pool A match, the world’s number one team and top seeds in Joao Pessoa, Thamela Coradello and Victoria Lopes of Brazil, swept compatriots Flavia Moura Santos Cezar and Barbara De Sousa Alves Ferreira 2-0 (21-13, 21-13).

Reigning Olympic champions Ana Patricia Ramos and Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda), seeded fourth, delighted local fans with a 2-0 (21-13, 21-19) victory in their opening game against American qualifiers Hailey Harward and Molly Phillips. Similarly, another US pair, current world champion Kelly Cheng with Molly Shaw, won their Pool D match 2-0 (21-16, 23-21) against Paraguayan Olympians Giuliana Poletti Corrales and Michelle Valiente.

In Pool E, a significant match on Friday will determine the winners between Switzerland’s Anouk Verge-Depre and Zoe Verge-Depre, and USA’s Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft. On Thursday, the fifth-seeded Swiss sisters outlasted Brazilian qualifiers Thainara Mylena Feitosa de Oliveira and Talita Calixto Simonetti in a tough 2-0 (21-16, 22-20) encounter. The Americans secured their 2-0 (21-11, 22-20) win against compatriots Corinne Quiggle and Chloe Loreen, who also advanced from the qualifiers.

Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalists Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson of Canada started strong in Pool F, claiming a 2-0 (21-14, 21-17) victory over French qualifiers Lezana Placette and Alexia Richard, who were also Olympic participants. Another Paris 2024 competitor from the Joao Pessoa qualifiers, Lithuania’s Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte, put up a strong fight against experienced Brazilians Talita Antunes and Taiana Lima (seventh seed) but ultimately lost by the narrowest of margins in both sets, 2-0 (21-19, 21-19).

Upcoming Schedule

Friday’s women’s program will feature the second round of pool matches and the first knockout stage. Action is scheduled to begin at 09:00 local time (12:00 UTC).