truebluefan

Berlin, Germany

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UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

The first of six Grand Slam stops on the 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour calendar opens in Berlin Monday as five events remain on the schedule before the close of the qualifying process for the Beijing Olympic Games.

The US$600,000 smart Grand Slam, the fifth double gender SWATCH FIVB World Tour stop in 2008, will be staged in front of the main train station in Berlin at the Washingtonplatz as the German capital hosts an international Beach Volleyball event for the 12th year.

The 24th of 28 qualifying events for women and the 25th of 29 qualifying stops for men for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the smart Grand Slam will feature Country Quota matches Monday for women and Tuesday for men. The qualifiers will be Tuesday for women and Wednesday for men to determine the final eight Main Draw spots.

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UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

Three matches involving five teams from two countries were played here Monday in front of the main train station at the Washingtonplatz to start the competition for the first of six Grand Slam stops on the 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour calendar.

Advancing from Monday's women's Country Quota matches at the US$600,000 smart Grand Slam were the teams of Maria Antonelli/Vanilda Leao of Brazil and Claudia Lehmann/Julia Sude of Germany as both tandems will now compete Tuesday in the Qualification Tournament where eight pairs will earn spots in Wednesday's opening Main Draw rounds.

Sandwiched between Lehmann and Sude's 21-15 and 21-12 win over compatriots Frederike Fischer and Julia Grossner, the Brazilian matches saw Antonelli and Leao scored elimination wins over Shaylyn Bede and Agatha Bednarczuk (24-22 and 21-17), and Carolina and Maria Clara Salgado (21-18 and 21-14).

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UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

Watch out Shelda Bede and Ana Paula Connelly, Brazilians compatriots Maria Antonelli and Vanilda Leão could be your downfall at this week’s US$600,000 smart Grand Slam on the Washingtonplatz courts in front of the main train station in the German capital.

As the 17th-seeded tandem here Tuesday in the 32-team Qualification Tournament for the first of six SWATCH FIVB World Tour Grand Slam events on the 2008 calendar, Antonelli and Leão have now defeated two of the three podium placers from last week’s international Beach Volleyball event in Poland.

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UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

It appears that the "odds" are better than the "evens" in 2008 for Pedro Rosas and Jose Pedrosa on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour as the Portuguese Beach Volleyball tandem posted a pair of seed-breakthroughs here Wednesday to advance to the Main Draw for this week's US$600,000 smart Grand Slam.

Being played in front of the main train station at the Washingtonplatz, the 17th-seeded Rosas and Pedrosa have now played in seven SWATCH FIVB World Tour qualifiers this season and have now advanced to the Main Draw in their first, third, fifth and now the seventh attempt after defeating higher-seeded teams from Norway and Brazil on Wednesday.

After scoring a 21-18, 18-21 and 15-10 win in 62 minutes over 16th-seeded Kjell Goranson and Vegard Hoidalen of Norway, Rosas and Pedrosa advanced to the smart Grand Slam "money" rounds with a 19-21, 25-23 and 15-13 win in 74 minutes over top-seeded Pedro Cunha and Franco Neto of Brazil.

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UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

With the 2008 international Beach Volleyball debut of three-time SWATCH FIVB World Champions Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States here Wednesday, the highlight of the first-day of women's Main Draw competition at the US$600,000 smart Grand Slam was a pair of upset wins by Mexico's Mayra Garcia and Bibiana Candelas.

With the American's first international appearance in 2008 delayed due to Walsh's recovery from off-season shoulder surgery, Garcia and Candelas posted Wednesday's biggest win with a 30-32, 21-12 and 15-11 win in 54 minutes over second-seeded Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca of Brazil, who have won the last three SWATCH FIVB World Tour point's titles.

The 18th-seeded Mexican pair opened play Wednesday by spoiling host Germany's debut in the smart Grand Slam as Garcia and Candelas scored a 17-21, 21-18 and 15-7 win in 50 minutes over 15th-seeded Helke Claasen and Antje Roder.

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UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

After placing 17th at the 2007 smart Grand Slam, Stephanie Pohl and Okka Rau were looking forward to this year's edition of the 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour event to start a string of successes to help the Germans to qualify for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

With a 21-18 and 21-16 win in 49 minutes over third-seeded Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs of the United States here Thursday morning, Pohl and Rau captured Pool C in the women's competition at the US$600,000 smart Grand Slam to advance to the 24-team single-elimination bracket.

The 14th-seeded Germans also earned a "bye" for the first round of matches to be played Thursday afternoon along with three teams from Brazil, two American tandems, and Beach Volleyball pairs from Greece and Mexico as each team captured their pools in the seventh women's event on the 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour calendar.

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UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

With four of the top eight-seeded teams playing in the first round of the women's elimination bracket at the US$600,000 smart Grand Slam here Thursday afternoon, each advanced to Friday's schedule in the first of six SWATCH FIVB World Tour Grand Slam events.

Posting elimination wins after being upset during pool play were second-seeded Juliana Felisberta Silva/Larissa Franca of Brazil, third-seeded Nicole Branagh/Elaine Youngs of the United States along with the Chinese tandems of sixth-seeded Chen Xue/Xi Zhang and seventh-seeded Jia Tian/Jie Wang.

Of the four, Juliana/Larissa and Xue/Zhang will face the toughest second-round matches Friday against fifth-seeded Talita Antunes/Renata Ribeiro of Brazil and top-seeded Misty May-Treanor/Kerri Walsh of the United States, respectively. Talita/Renata (Pool E) and May-Treanor/Walsh (Pool A) earned "byes" in the 24-team smart Grand Slam single-elimination bracket by winning their pools with 3-0 records.

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UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

With the US$600,000 smart Grand Slam featuring pool play for the first time this season, the opening men's matches here Thursday saw five of the groups finishing the first day as expected while upsets highlighted the remaining three divisions at the SWATCH FIVB World Tour event.

With a "new life" in the first of six Grand Slam events on the 2008 SWATCH FIVB World Tour calendar, 13th-seeded Pedro Cunha and Franco Neto of Brazil took advantage of a "Lucky Loser" berth for the Main Draw at the 12th annual smart Grand Slam to earn a guaranteed berth in Friday's single-elimination bracket.

After losing to Pedro Rosas and Jose Pedrosa of Portugal in the final SWATCH FIVB World Tour qualifying round Wednesday on the sand courts in front of the German capital's main train station at the Washingtonplatz, Cunha and Franco won the "Lucky Loser" draw over a team from Japan after Australian Joshua Slack withdrew from the smart Grand Slam "money" rounds due to a calf injury.

Cunha, who celebrated his 25th birthday Tuesday, and Franco took advantage of the draw to post a pair of wins Thursday to assume the lead in Pool M after fourth-seeded Penggen Wu and Linyin Wu of China were upset by 20th-seeded Jorre Kjemperud and Tarjei Skarlund of Norway 25-23 and 21-19 in 43 minutes. Earlier Thursday, Cunha and Franco scored a 19-21, 21-13 and 15-12 victory in 62 minutes over the Norwegians.

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UFC 112: Invincible

truebluefan

Women's Beach Volleyball teams from Brazil and the United States filled six of the eight quarter-finals berths after winning opening elimination matches here Friday at the US$600,000 smart Grand Slam as the SWATCH FIVB World Tour returns to the German capital for the 12th time in the past 13 years.

With three teams each in the "elite eight" at the first of six SWATCH FIVB World Tour Grand Slam events on the 2008 international calendar, Brazil and the United States will have two head-to-head meetings while the third pairs from the Americans will challenge tandems from Germany and China.

Posting the biggest seed-breakthrough to reach the smart Grand Slam quarter-finals were 26th-seeded Maria Antonelli and Vanilda Leao. The Brazilian pair has now advanced from the Country Quota and Qualification Tournament rounds by winning seven of eight matches on the sand courts in front of the city's main train station at the Washingtonplatz.

With their opening 21-17, 20-22 and 15-11 win in 51 minutes over the 21st-seeded Schwaiger sisters (Doris and Stefanie) of Austria, Antonelli and Leao face top-seeded Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh of the United States. While the Americans will be seeking for the third-straight Berlin gold medal, Antonelli and Leao will be vying for their first SWATCH FIVB World Tour "final four" berth as the match will be the first meeting between the two teams.

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UFC 112: Invincible