Graudiņa/Samoilova open Montreal beach volleyball event with straight-sets win over hosts

Latvian beach volleyball duo Tīna Graudiņa and Anastasija Samoilova began their campaign at the elite tournament in Montreal with a straight-sets 2:0 (21:15, 21:15) victory over the host nation's pair, Mariaeleixa Belangie and Leah Monkhouse.

The first set was close early on, with the Latvians leading 3:2 after a Samoilova serve before the Canadians answered with three straight points to level the score. The Latvian pair gradually built a lead through strong defensive play and net action, closing out the set in their favor.

In the second set, Graudiņa and Samoilova took control immediately, racing to a 10:1 lead helped by several aces from Samoilova. Although the Canadians later narrowed the gap, the Latvians held their advantage to close out both the set and the match at 21:15.

What's next

Temperature during the match was 19 degrees. Graudiņa and Samoilova, seeded fifth in the tournament, now continue in Pool D, which also includes the Canadian pair as well as Americans Molly Shaw/Molly Phillips, who advanced through qualification, and Americans Julia Doleman/Lexy Denaburg. The Latvians next face Shaw/Phillips, followed by a match against Doleman/Denaburg. To advance to the knockout stage, the pair must finish among the top three in their pool.

The Montreal event is being held on the grounds of a Formula 1 racetrack. A week earlier, at the European Championship, Graudiņa and Samoilova won bronze, while Jānis Pļaviņš and Toms Fokerots finished ninth. Pļaviņš and Fokerots are competing in Pool B in Montreal, where they opened with a 2:0 win over Norway's Ringuns/Oss.