Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson secured a spot in the semifinals of the Montreal Elite16 tournament by defeating Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka 22-20, 21-18 in the quarterfinals on Saturday. The Canadian duo outperformed their opponents with more blocks and digs, setting up a clash with Thamela Galil and Victoria Tosta of Brazil in the next round. Galil and Tosta advanced by beating the American pair of Julia Donlin and Lexy Denaburg 21-17, 13-21, 18-16.
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This marks a chance for Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson to secure their third consecutive win in the Montreal Elite16 tournament, having claimed the titles in 2023 and 2025 while also clinching Olympic silver in between.
Reflecting on their upcoming match against the Brazilian duo, Humana-Paredes mentioned they would review past performances to capitalize on their strengths from previous encounters.
Witness Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson’s match against Latvia’s Anastasija Samoilova and Tīna Graudiņa at the Beach Pro Tour event in Montreal.
On the same day, the Ontario pair of Sam Schachter and Jonathan Pickett caused an upset by securing a spot in the men’s semifinals at the FIVB Beach Pro Tournament. The Canadian duo, ranked 39th, defeated the top-seeded team of Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) in the quarterfinals. Schachter and Pickett, hailing from Richmond Hill and Wiarton respectively, also eliminated Austria’s Alexander Horst and Paul Pascariuc earlier in the day.
Reflecting on their victory over the world No. 1 team, Schachter credited their success to solid fundamental play and consistency, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a high level of performance.
The Canadian pair is set to face Brazil’s Renato Andrew Lima de Carvalho and Andre Stein in the semifinals on Sunday.