The Canadian beach volleyball pair of 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 Canadians showcased superior blocking and digging skills over their opponents, earning them a chance to face Thamela Galil and Victoria Tosta of Brazil in the upcoming semifinal match.
Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson, who previously clinched the titles in 2023 and 2025 and secured an Olympic silver medal, expressed their strategy of reviewing video footage of the Brazilian team to capitalize on their strengths observed during their previous encounter. In another exciting match on Saturday, Ontario duo Sam Schachter and Jonathan Pickett caused a major upset by defeating the top-ranked team of Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) in the men’s quarterfinals. The Canadian pair emphasized their consistent and solid gameplay as the key to their success.
Schachter and Pickett are set to face off against Brazil’s Renato Andrew Lima de Carvalho and Andre Stein in the semifinals on Sunday morning. Fans can catch the live coverage of the tournament on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem to witness the thrilling action unfold.