Teams from Brazil, Italy, Norway and Spain played off for the final spots in this week's men's SWATCH FIVB World Tour qualifier here Tuesday afternoon as the US$350,000 Hyundai Open Barcelona also featured women's competition on the Placa Carles Buigas.
Competing for the first time in six years in mainland Spain, the SWATCH FIVB World Tour stop continues through the weekend when the men's finale will be played Sunday preceded by the qualifier Wednesday and the opening Main Draw matches Thursday on the steps in front of the National Museum Of Art of Catalunya.
The women's Main Draw begins Wednesday and concludes Saturday as the winning teams in both genders share the $28,000 first-place prize in the third of 16 double gender events on the 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour schedule that started at the end of March in Adelaide, Australia.
Winning Country Quota matches for the host country Tuesday were Arseni Llenas Sabanes/Miguel Tortosa, Gerard Cabanes Clusellas/Lluis de Senespleda Ferrer and Raul Salguero Velasco/Sergio Sanchez Romero. Guillem Alberti Mendez and Francesc Plaza had a Country Quota bye and will also compete in Wednesday's qualifier for Spain.
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