The top two seeded teams in the US$175,000 Keihan/SMFG Japan Open were upset here Friday as the Beach Volleyball tandems of Jen Boss/April Ross of the United States and Tamsin Barnett/Natalie Cook advanced to semi-final-qualifying matches late in the day against teams from China and Brazil, respectively.
With the SWATCH FIVB World Tour returning to Japan for the first-time since the 2005 season, the seventh-seeded Boss and Ross won an opening match Friday against compatriots and second-seeded Nicole Branagh and Elaine Young 21-18, 13-21 and 15-10 in 56 minutes while Barnett and Cook were scoring a 19-21, 21-16 and 16-14 victory in 62 minutes over top-seeded Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca of Brazil.
Maintaining their seeds with wins in the third round of the winner's bracket were third-seeded Chen Xue/Xi Zhang of China and fourth-seeded Shelda Bede/Ana Paula Connelly of Brazil as each team defeated a Beach Volleyball pair from their country to advance to their semi-final-qualifying match at the end of Friday's schedule.
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