Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 13, 2016 - After winning their pool Wednesday, American Olympic medalists April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings returned the 12,000-season “Coliseu on Copacabana” early Saturday morning to post a Beach Volleyball elimination win at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games by ousting Laura Giombini and Marta Menegatti of Italy.
With their 2-0 (21-10, 21-16) win in 36 minutes over Giombini and Menegatti, it marked the third time on Copacabana that Ross and Walsh Jennings have won a match at the start of a new day with the others being over pairs from Australia and China.
The victory also advanced the Americans to the Rio 2016 Olympic quarter-finals where Ross and Walsh Jennings will play the winner of a late night Saturday match between Louise Bawden/Taliqua Clancy of Australia and Monika Brzostek/Kinga Kolosinska of Poland.
The Rio 2016 Olympics is also Ross and Walsh Jennings third tournament in the past 11 months on Copacabana. With Walsh Jennings playing with right shoulder problems, the American pair placed ninth last September’s Rio “test” events. In mid-March, Ross and Walsh Jennings returned to Copacabana to win the Rio Grand Slam by defeating Brzostek and Kolosinska in the finals.