The Vitória Open is the seventh men’s and fifth women’s tournament on the 2015-2016 FIVB World Tour schedule where points from each team’s finishes will count towards qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Brazil world tour stops started three weeks ago in Maceio with last week’s competition on Copacabana where the Rio Summer Games will be played August 6-18.
FIRST TIME SINCE 2006
Vitória will be hosting men’s and women’s international Beach Volleyball together for only the second-time with this year’s event being the first on Camburi beach since 2006 when teams from host Brazil (Juliana Felisberta/Larissa Franca) and Germany (Julius Brink/Christoph Dieckmann) topped the podium in a late September, early October event.
Medal-players from the 2006 Vitória stop in this week’s field include Juliana, Larissa, Kerri Walsh (bronze) and Jake Gibb (silver). This time on Camburi, Juliana is playing with Taiana Lima and Larissa with Talita Antunes. The American lineup features Walsh Jennings with April Ross with Gibb paired with Casey Patterson.
Earlier FIVB World Tour men’s competition in Vitória were staged in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. Past Vitória winners from Brazil in the field this week are Ricardo Santos (1999 with ZeMarco de Melo) and Marcio Araujo (2000 with Fabio Luiz Magalhaes). Other women’s world tour events in Vitória were played in 2000 and 2002.
Host Brazil will have four men’s and three women’s pairs in the qualifier. The South American country has already had four men’s and women’s women teams placed in Wednesday’s opening Main Draw due to entry points or “wild cards’ received.
BRAZILIAN MEN
Brazil's Saymon Barbosa (yellow) in action at the Maceió Open
Men’s teams competing in the qualifier for Brazil are Saymon Barbosa/Guto Carvalhaes (No. 15 seed), Oscar Brandao/Andre Loyola (No. 23), Bruno de Paula/Hevaldo Moreira (No. 24) and Marcio Araujo/Luciano Ferreira de Paula (No. 26). Saymon and Guto captured a bronze medal at the Maceio Open three weeks ago, but failed to advance from last week’s Rio Grand Slam qualifier.
Reigning FIVB world champions Alison Cerutti/Bruno Oscar Schmidt will be the featured host country pair in the Main Draw as team has already been named to represent Brazil in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. With the retirement last week of legendary Emanuel Rego, Ricardo Santos will play this week Alvaro Filho with the third Brazilian team in the “money” rounds being “wild card” entrants Leonardo Gomes/Rodrigo Vieira.
Ricardo and Alvaro played together for two seasons (2013 and 2014) and placed second at the 2013 FIVB World Championships in Poland where the Brazilians lost to Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen of The Netherlands in the finals. The Dutch team will be one of the top-seeded teams in the men’s Main Draw.
BRAZILIAN WOMEN
Brazil's Eduarda Lisboa on the sand for the Mikasa reception at the Maceió Open
Host country women’s team in Tuesday qualifier are Eduarda “Duda” Lisboa/Elize Maia (No. 1), Angela Lavalle/Rachel Nunes (No. 20) and Josemari Alves/Vanilda Leao (No. 25). Duda and Elize Maia won the gold medal at the Maceio Open, but placed 25th last week on Copacabana. Joining Talita/Larissa and Juliana/Lima as Brazilian women in the Vitória Open Main Draw are Maria Antonelli/Liliane Maestrini and Claudinere Bento Sabino/Rebecca Cavalcanti.
WHAT’S NEXT
Following the Vitória Open, the FIVB World Tour will take a two-week break before resuming action April 4-8 men’s-only event in Doha, Qatar. Before returning to Brazil for the Fortaleza Open at the end of April, two double-gender events will be staged in China at Xiamen (April 12-17) and Fuzhou (April 19-24).