American Qualifiers Stun Latvian Champions in João Pessoa Opener
UPSETS HEADLINE WOMEN’S MAIN DRAW at the Beach Pro Tour João Pessoa Elite as qualifying teams make their mark on elite competition.
World Champions Fall on Opening Day
In one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 season, American qualifiers Savvy Simo and Devon Newberry defeated Latvian world champions Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova 2-1 (21-18, 20-22, 15-10) in their first match together on Wednesday. The upset marked the first pool play match of the women’s main draw in Brazil.
Simo and Newberry had just earned their tournament berth hours earlier, winning their qualifier against Hungarians Lilla Villám and Stefánia Kun in a three-setter (20-22, 21-9, 16-14) before facing the reigning world champions in Pool C.
American Presence Dominates Pool C
The upset wasn’t the only American victory in the pool. Piper Ferch and Teegan Van Gunst also secured a 2-1 win (21-14, 16-21, 15-11) over home favorites Kyce Silva and Talita Simonetti.
Other Notable Results from Day One
Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft — the 2023 world champion teaming with her new partner — prevailed in straight sets over Paraguayan Olympians Michelle Valiente and Giuliana Corrales (21-18, 21-17) in Pool D. Kristen Cruz and Taryn Brasher took down Danish qualifiers Sofia Bisgaard and Cirkeline Høg 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) in Pool B.
Brazilian Olympic champions Eduarda ‘Duda’ Lisboa and Ana Patrícia Ramos handled American qualifiers Kamila Tan and Tiffany Svenssohn decisively (21-16, 21-14) in Pool A, while Germans Melanie Paul and Lea Kunst swept (21-16, 21-17) Abby Van Winkle and Molly Phillips.
The women’s competition continues Thursday in João Pessoa with 12 more pool play matches across all brackets.
Credit: volleyballworld.com
