For over a year and a half, teams have been accumulating points towards qualification for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This week, at the World Series13 in Marseille, France, marks the final deadline for that process and as expected, some matches have had critical importance in determining the Beijing participants.
Japan's Chiaki Kusuhara and Mika Teru Saiki were involved in an intense battle for an Olympic spot. Coming into the tournament, the duo, who have separately played in 2004 and 2000 Olympics respectively, were barely holding on the final berth available. However, during the tournament they were surpassed by a team from Georgia, and were on the outside looking in. As the sun was setting on the Esplanade St Jean in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, France, so, it appeared, were the Japanese chances of playing in another Olympics.
In a contender's match with 12th-seeded Bibiana Candelas and Mayra Garcia of Mexico, the Japan duo found themselves one set from elimination. They fought back and won the second set, forcing a deciding third set, which had all the excitement one would expect from a match of that magnitude. After nine ties and three lead changes, the Japanese emerged victoriously behind the strength of Teru Saiki's backcourt defense and a late ace. Following a 15-21, 21-10, 15-12 victory, the Japan tandem appears headed to Beijing.
"We felt very pressured and we made many service errors early," an emotional Teru Saiki said afterwards. "The Mexican team is very good; they have a tall blocker and a good defender. After the first set we knew we had to concentrate on our serves and we were getting better and better as the match went on."
The Mexican duo had already helped to secure an Olympic berth for themselves by getting to that point, and could have played the role of spoilers, which is what Teru Saiki was in 2000. That year she dictated which American team competed in Sydney, as her match win in the Grand Slam Chicago against Liz Masakayan and Elaine Youngs prevented that duo from going, with the berth instead going to Holly McPeak and Misty May. Teru Saiki finished fourth in the Sydney Games.
Four women's teams enter Friday with an unblemished record, including two tandems from Germany. Reike Brink-Abeler and Hella Jurich are one of two teams that have yet to drop a set in this event, as they swept Belgium's Liesbeth Mouha and Liesbet Van Breedam in their only competition Thursday, 23-21, 21-18. The Germans need to win the event in order to remain in contention for an Olympic berth. Ahead for the Germans is a match against the top-seeded team from Brazil, Carolina and Maria Clara Salgado, for the right to go to the semifinals.
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