After three days of competition, the medal matches are set for the first of three FIVB four-star events at the Cancun Hub in Mexico.
On the men’s side, top-seeded Anders Mol and Christian Sorum of Norway face No. 17 Cherif Samba and Ahmed Tijan of Qatar for gold. No. 10 Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner of the Czech Republic play qualifiers Martin Ermacora and Moritz Pristauz-Telsnigg of Austria for bronze.
No. 4 Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan of Canada go for gold against No. 9 Talita Antunes and Taiana Lima of Brazil. The bronze medal will go to either No. 20 Chantal Laboreur and Cinja Tillmann of Germany or No. 3 Agatha Bednarczuk and Eduarda Lisboa Duda of Brazil.
All seven of the USA teams were eliminated Sunday.
Mol and Sorum defeated Brazil’s Gustavo Carvalhaes and Arthur Da Silva (21-14, 21-14) and the Czech Republic’s Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner of Austria (17-21, 21-14, 15-9) Monday. The Norwegians have dropped only two sets this tournament, to Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena in round two and to Perusic and Schweiner in the semifinals.
High-flying Qataris Samba and Tijan defeated Italy’s Adrian Carambula and Enrico Rossi (21-18, 21-17) and then Austria’s Ermacora and Pristauz-Telsnigg (21-17, 21-18).
Head-to-head, Samba and Tijan lead Mol and Sorum 2-1, but they haven’t played since 2018. The Qataris won at Xiamen and Doha, with the Norwegians winning in The Hague.
Perusic and Schweiner defeated Russia’s Ilya Leshukov and Konstantin Semenov (21-19, 20-22, 15-13) and then lost to Mol and Sorum. Though just the 10 seed, the Czechs have played well in 2021, winning the four-star Doha event.
The Austrian qualifiers Ermacora and Pristauz-Telsnigg have survived all three days of wind and heat, beginning the tournament as the No. 28 seed. Ermacora (6-8, age 27) and Pristauz-Telsnigg (6-4, 25) have proven to be a dangerous team, as witnessed by their silver finish in Qinzhou 2020.
Head-to-head, Perusic-Schweiner and Ermacora-Pristauz-Telsnigg are tied two to two, with the Austrians winning twice (pool play two days ago and at the European championships 2019), and the Czechs winning twice (in pool at the Europeans championships 2019 and in Ostrava 2019).
Humana-Paredes and Pavan defeated compatriots No. 17 Heather Bansley and Brandie Wilkerson of Canada (21-12, 22-20) and No. 20 Laboreur and Tillmann of Germany (21-16, 21-14). They have dropped only two sets this weekend, the first to Laboreur and Tillmann in pool and the second to Karla Borger and Julia Sude of Germany.
Antunes and Lima survived a path fraught with their own countrymen today, defeating both of Brazil’s Olympic teams No. 10 Ana Patricia Silva and Rebecca Cavalcanti (22-20, 17-21, 16-14) and Bednarczuk and Lisboa (21-14, 10-21, 15-13).
The two pairs have never played before.
Bednarczuk and Lisboa defeated No. 3 Nadezda Makroguzova and Svetlana Kholomina of Russia (21-12, 25-23) before being relegated to bronze by Antunes and Lima.
Laboreur and Tillmann edged No. 2 Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho of Australia (21-19, 21-19) before losing to Humana-Paredes and Pavan.
The teams have never faced each other head-to-head.
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Results courtesy of BVBinfo.com
Men’s round 3
Anders Mol/Christian Sorum Norway (1) def. Gustavo “Guto” Carvalhaes/Arthur Da Silva Brazil (28, Q12) 21-14, 21-14 (0:33)
Ondrej Perusic/David Schweiner Czech Republic (10) def. Ilya Leshukov/Konstantin Semenov Russia (16) 21-19, 20-22, 15-13 (0:52)
Cherif Samba/Ahmed Tijan Qatar (17) def. Adrian Carambula/Enrico Rossi Italy (7) 21-18, 21-17 (0:35)
Martin Ermacora/Moritz Pristauz-Telsnigg Austria (23, Q2) def. Aleksandrs Samoilovs/Janis Smedins Latvia (11) 14-21, 21-18, 15-13 (0:49)
Men’s semifinals
Anders Mol/Christian Sorum Norway (1) def. Ondrej Perusic/David Schweiner Czech Republic (10) 17-21, 21-14, 15-9 (0:48)
Cherif Samba/Ahmed Tijan Qatar (17) def. Martin Ermacora/Moritz Pristauz-Telsnigg Austria (23, Q2) 21-17, 21-18 (0:36)
Women’s round 3
Chantal Laboureur/Cinja Tillmann Germany (20) def. Taliqua Clancy/Mariafe Artacho Australia (2) 21-19, 21-19 (0:41)
Melissa Humana-Paredes/Sarah Pavan Canada (4) def. Heather Bansley/Brandie Wilkerson Canada (17) 21-12, 22-20 (0:41)
Agatha Bednarczuk/Eduarda “Duda” Lisboa Brazil (3) def. Nadezda Makroguzova/Svetlana Kholomina Russia (6) 21-12, 25-23 (0:40)
Talita Antunes/Taiana Lima Brazil (9) def. Ana Patricia Silva/Rebecca Cavalcanti Brazil (10) 22-20, 17-21, 16-14 (0:52)
Women’s semifinals
Melissa Humana-Paredes/Sarah Pavan Canada (4) def. Chantal Laboureur/Cinja Tillmann Germany (20) 21-16, 21-14 (0:36)
Talita Antunes/Taiana Lima Brazil (9) def. Agatha Bednarczuk/Eduarda “Duda” Lisboa Brazil (3) 21-14, 10-21, 15-13 (0:43)
