Vienna, Austria, July 29, 2017 - Led by top-seeded Talita Antunes and Larissa Franca, Brazil won five of the 16 women’s matches here Saturday at the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships presented by A1 while the Czech Republic, Germany and the United States were multi-winners in the US$1-million event.
Talita and Larissa, the top team on the 2017 FIVB World Tour ranking list, posted a 2-1 (21-11, 19-21, 15-8) Pool A win in 43 minutes over 48th-seeded Katharina Holzer/Teresa Strauss of Austria. With the win, the Brazilians will play 25th-seeded Nicole Branagh and Emily Day Sunday as the Americans posted a 2-0 (21-16, 26-24) win in 44 minutes over 24th-seeded Victoria Bieneck/Isabel Schneider of Germany.
Other Brazilians winners Saturday were third-seeded Agatha Bednarczuk/Eduarda "Duda" Lisboa, eighth-seeded Fernanda Alves/Barbara Seixas and ninth-seeded Maria Antonelli/Carolina Salgado and 32nd-seeded Taiana Lima/Elize Maia.
Agatha and Barbara, who teamed to win the 2015 FIVB World Championships in The Hague, ended their partnership after winning the Olympic silver medal in Rio last August. In the 2015 gold medal finale for the world title, Agatha and Barbara defeated Fernanda and Taiana for the gold medal while Antonelli placed third with Juliana Felisberta.
Sunday’s schedule will feature 28 pool play matches on three courts at the state-of-the art venue at Donauinsel with the focal point of the action and entertainment being held with a picturesque view of the Danube River and the lively atmosphere of the Beach Village.
A total of 216-matches will be played over a 10-day period at the world championships where the winning men’s and women’s teams will each split the $60,000 first-place prizes. The women’s medal matches will be played August 5 and the men’s August 6. With 96 teams from 40 countries in the competition, pool play will highlight the first six days of play with the featured court being the 10,000-seat Red Bull Beach Arena.
