PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC, May 10, 2008 - For the first-time this year and the 39th-time on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour since the start of international Beach Volleyball circuit in 1987, four different countries will be represented in the semi-finals after pairs from Brazil and the Netherlands qualified here Saturday.
Being played on a picturesque island on the River Vltava at the Stvanice Stadium, the US$175,000 Prague 2008 Open will also have teams from Germany and the United States competing in Saturday afternoon’s semi-final matches that will determine the lineup for Sunday’s medal matches at the transformed tennis facility.
Saturday’s first semi-final will feature the two winningest countries in terms of medals on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour as 13th-seeded Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal of the United States (92 men’s medals) challenge second-seeded Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos of Brazil (337 medals). It is the fourth FIVB meeting between the two teams with the Americans holding a 3-1 edge, but Emanuel and Ricardo won the last match last August in Austria.
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