Moscow, Russia, May 24, 2016 - With the planet’s best Beach Volleyball players competing here this week in the second big event on the 2015-2016 FIVB World Tour calendar, one player will have the opportunity to accomplish something that no other competitor in the history of the sport has achieved by winning gold medals at three different levels of competition for FIVB-sanctioned events.
Eduarda "Duda" Lisboa of Brazil enters the US$800,000 Moscow Grand Slam at the Vodny Stadium Beach Sports Centre this week seeking a gold medal in her third-straight international Beach Volleyball event. What makes it different is Duda won a FIVB World Tour “open” event at the start of May in Brazil before topping a FIVB under-21 world championship podium two weeks later in Switzerland.
The FIVB Grand Slam and SWATCH Major events are the most prestigious events on the international calendar this season outside of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in August. No other player in the history sport has ever combined winning two different FIVB World Tour events in a season along with topping a junior podium.
Competing with partner Elize Maia as the top-seeded team in the women’s Qualification Tournament at the $800,000 Moscow Grand Slam, Duda enhanced her chances of accomplishing the feat by winning a qualifying match Tuesday over 16th-seeded Khanittha Hongpak/Rumpaipruet Numwong of Thailand 2-0 (21-14, 21-14) in 28 minutes to advance to Wednesday’s money rounds.
Diving for Mikasa is Eduarda “Duda” Lisboa of Brazil in Tuesday's Moscow Grand Slam qualifier.
Duda started her streak with Eliza Maia by winning seven-straight matches at the Fortaleza Open (April 27-May 1) to capture their second FIVB World Tour event this season. Fifteen days later in Lucerne, Switzerland (May 11-16), Duda and Ana Patricia Silva won another seven-straight matches to capture the gold medal at the under-21 world championships.
“Yes, that would be great,” said Duda after the qualifying win Tuesday with Eliza Maia. “It would be especially hard since all the best teams in the world are here this week. Not to discredit the competitors in the other events, but those fields were different. I feel that I am playing very well and transitioning between playing with Eliza and Ana Patricia has not been difficult.”
When asked about her early successes, Duda credits her mental sharpness on the court. “I love playing this game,” said Duda, who captured the gold medal at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games in China with Ana Patricia. “My coaches and partners work hard in preparing for each tournament. I am very fortunate to have their support and guidance. I still have a lot to learn, but I like where I am mentally.”
The only “stumble” for Duda with Eliza Maia was a 25th earlier this season at the Rio Grand Slam where the pair posted two qualifying wins, before losing three-straight in pool play with the final match being a forfeit due to medical reasons. The Moscow Grand Slam is the ninth FIVB World Tour event for the Duda/Eliza Maia as the pair has posted a 44-13 match mark together.
A week prior to the Rio Grand Slam, Duda and Eliza Maia captured their first FIVB World Tour gold medal by winning the Maceio Open where they defeated Madelein Meppelink/Marleen Van Iersel of The Netherlands 2-0 (21-10, 21-13) in the 33-minute finale. The Dutch avenged the setback in Rio with a 2-0 (21-19, 21-19) pool play win in 45 minutes.
Duda and Elize Maia were one of eight teams to advance to Wednesday’s Main Draw where pool play matches will be contested Wednesday and Thursday followed by elimination confrontations Friday and Saturday to set the lineup for Sunday’s medal meetings.
With six of the eight top-seeded pairs advancing to the money rounds, the teams of 10th-seeded Lane Carico/Summer Ross of the United States and 14th-seeded Anastasia Barsuk/Alexandra Moiseeva of Russia scored seed-break-through wins to advance to Wednesday’s schedule.
After defeating 19th-seeded Russian rivals Daria Rudykh/Elizaveta Zayonchkovskaya 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) in 34 minutes to open play Tuesday, Barsuk and Moiseeva advanced to Wednesday’s rounds with a 2-0 (21-10, 21-17) victory in 32 minutes over third-seeded Chantal Laboureur/Julia Sude of Germany. Carico and Ross opened play Tuesday with a 2-0 (21-11, 21-12) win in 23 minutes over 23rd-seeded Daria Mastikova/Elizaveta Novikova of Russia before eliminating seventh-seeded Barbara Hansel/Stefanie Schwaiger of Austria 2-0 (21-16, 21-12) in 30 minutes.
Russia's Anastasia Barsuk (left) and Alexandra Moiseeva posted two qualifying wins Tuesday at Moscow Grand Slam
Other Main Draw qualifiers from Tuesday action were second-seeded Jantine van der Vlist/Sophie van Gestel of The Netherlands, fourth-seeded Mariafe Artacho/Nicole Laird of Australia, fifth-seeded Taru Lahti/Riikka Lehtonen of Finland, sixth-seeded Barbora Hermannova/Marketa Slukova of the Czech Republic and eighth-seeded Victoria Bieneck/Julia Grossner of Germany.