Brazil were unstoppable on their home sand last week. They sent six women’s teams to the quarterfinals and took the gold and silver medals in both the men’s and women’s tournaments in Itapema. It was the final stop of the Beach World Tour star system which has been used since 2017. Many of the world’s highest ranked teams decided not to play in this very late season event, but that doesn’t take away from strong impression Brazil made on the beach volleyball world.
Agatha and Duda part ways on top
Brazil’s Agatha and Duda have been the most consistent team on the world tour since joining forces in 2017. At the time, Duda was just 18 years old and Agatha was an Olympic silver medalist and World Champion. Duda was the most promising beach volleyball player from any country in the world and partnering the two provided the opportunity for immediate success and to accelerate Duda’s development in the long term.
Arguably, both have happened. The partnership netted eight gold medals, five silvers and eight bronze medals and a very strong case can be made for Duda being the best player in the world today. Agatha plans to continue playing and at 38 years old she will continue to be a force on the world tour. Duda will reunite with her partner from age group dominance, Ana Patricia. Ana Patricia is Brazil’s best blocker and has also improved her game tremendously in the years since she last played with Duda.
Perfection in farewell
Agatha and Duda did not drop a single set in their six matches in Itapema. Twice they were forced to go the long way to win a set 25-23, including the first set of the gold medal match against Hegeile Almeida & Taiana Lima. Agatha’s side out game, which includes an incredible array of shots, was rock solid in the closely contested final. Late in the first set, Duda increased her rate of attacking the second ball and Taiana and Hegeile ran out of answers.
Taiana was on form in the final and made some fantastic digs against hard driven balls and her serving caused problems on multiple occasions. She even picked up a block on Duda early on, maybe the first one in her great career. Hegeile rose to the occasion of her first gold medal match on the world tour. The Brazilian system is so packed full of talent that it took a tournament featuring nine Brazilian teams for her to get a chance.
In the second set, Agatha and Duda pulled away. Duda started reading the attack more consistently and twice scored with an over-on-one dig. Taiana made some acrobatic digs and tracked down a few jumbos, thrilling the fans, but it was all Agatha and Duda down the stretch in a perfect way for them to end their partnership, 25-23, 21-13.
Andre and George win for the men but silver medalists really impress
Brazil’s big men, Evandro and Alison were showing off new partners in Itapema, but it was the pairing of Andre Loyola and George Wanderly that came out on top. They have been a great pair over recent years, but surprisingly, this was their first gold medal together. It’s their second four-star podium in a row after finishing third in Ostrava last June. They only dropped one set in Itapema, but they were pushed to the limit in the final by Renato Lima and Vitor Felipe.
The first set was an absolute thriller that ended 29-27 and featured several lead changes in the extra period. Andre and George seemed to be the team in control, but Renato and Vitor Felipe kept coming up with huge swings to keep the set alive. George just made too many digs and on the last point Vitor Felipe attempted a very difficult attack on the second ball that Andre blocked to end it. The second set was also very tight, but ended the same way the first set was, with a big block by Andre.
Renato’s Itapema coming out party
Renato Lima was a dominant force at the youth level, winning a remarkable three world championships. We haven’t seen him on this stage yet thoug, because it is very difficult for young Brazilians to break through the congested ranking system. He and Vitor Felipe lost in four-star qualifiers twice this season, stalling his chance to earn points and make an ascent. He has won a one-star gold medal, but chances to play in bigger events have been hard to come by.
In Itapema, the tournament organizers gave them a wild card and they entered the main draw as the lowest seeded team. It didn’t take long to realize the seeds needed to be thrown out in their case as they dispatched Argentinian Olympians Julian Azaad & Nicolas Capogrosso in their first match and won their pool. They also beat Pedro Solberg, Swedish sensations David Ahman & Jonatan Hellvig and Italy’s new top team Daniele Lupo & Alex Ranghieri.
I think it is safe to say, we’ll be seeing him on the podium many more times in the coming years.
American women set for fascinating off season
A quick look at the world rankings shows how deep the talent runs for America’s women, too. April Ross and Alix Klineman are staying together after their gold medal in Tokyo, but after that there is going to be some major partner shuffling. Before this tournament, I would have said that Sara Hughes and Therese Cannon were playing Itapema to boost their ranking points and make themselves more attractive to potential suiters. After last week though, I would love to see them stick together and make a run for Paris. Their bonze medal run was very solid.
Cannon has played with 12 different partners on the world tour and domestically since 2016. Hughes has had two long stretches with one partner in her young pro career, playing 28 times with Kelley Claes and 27 times with Summer Ross. She played most of this season with Emily Day, who also looked good in Itapema, but they couldn’t get through the country quota log jam at the four-star level.
It isn’t the bronze medal that makes me want to see Sara and Therese stick together as much as the way that they played together. Cannon showed herself to be a blocker who can play at this level and her hand setting gives Sara a chance to exploit her undeniable offensive talents. The chance to play multiple matches in the same tournament also allowed them to lay a foundation that is ready to be built on.
Get ready for the dominoes to fall
With the legendary Kerri Walsh Jennings yet to retire and Sarah Sponcil and Claes splitting up along with Kelly Kolinski, Emily Stockman, Brooke Sweat, Emily Day, Betsi Flint and even Lauren Fendrick holding valuable rankings points, there are tons of options out there. There is also tons of talent coming through the NCAA and AVP to partner with all of the veterans, so we can only guess at who will emerge as America’s top team in the next quad. Ok, the guess of April and Alix is pretty obvious, but beyond that it is going to be a fun ride.
Star system, that’s a wrap
The world tour is ending the five tiered star system after five years. Itapema was the final tournament under the system with a new Beach Pro Tour taking its place starting in 2022. The new system will feature three levels: Elite16, Challenge and Futures. The Beach Volley Blog will break down what the new system means to players and fans in a series of posts over the coming months, so make sure to check back.
Beach Pick’em debut a success
Thank you to everyone that took part in the first ever Beach Volley Blog fantasy game, Beach Pick’em. Congratulations to Beach Milovice who ended up on top of the combined rankings for both tournaments with 5200 points. ReggaeDragon was just off the pace with 5040 points and Dunse rounded off the podium with 4800 points. Narla won the women’s tournament with 3040 points, accurately predicting the Brazilian dominance that the rest of us missed. ReggaeDragon was the top men’s picker, showing his clairvoyance with 3360 points. The game will be back with even more features for the 2022 season, so make sure you don’t miss it if you didn’t play this time.