HAMBURG — Canada's Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan will play for bronze at the Beach World Tour Hamburg Finals after dropping a two-set decision against German Olympic and world champions Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst on Friday.
Toronto's Humana-Paredes and Pavan, from Kitchener, Ont., lost by scores of 21-15, 21-14.
It was the second FIVB World Tour match between the two teams with the Canadians defeating Ludwig and Walkenhorst in the Rio Open quarter-finals in mid-May.
"They played unbelievably well, they kept the pressure on us all game," Pavan said. "I wish we had played the way we can. We had a lot of opportunities but we didn't capitalize on. Our side out was very shaky. We have to get ready for the bronze medal match. Neither of us can dwell on this game."
Earlier in the day, the third-seeded Canadians scored a decisive 2-0 (21-10, 21-12) win over 12th-seeded Nina Betschart and Tanja Hüberli of Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
Pavan and Humana-Paredes will play Brazil's Talita and Larissa, who lost their semi to fellow Brazilians Agatha and Duda.
Talita and Larissa posted a 2-0 (27-25, 21-16) win over 11th-seeded Canadians Heather Bansley and Brandie Wilkerson earlier Friday. Bansley and Wilkerson finished ninth at this World Tour finals.
Ben Saxton of Calgary and Chaim Schalk of Red Deer, Alta., bounced back after losing their two pool matches to eliminate Russians Viacheslav Krasilnikov and Nikita Liamin from the competition.
Seeded 12th as a wild-card entry, Saxton and Schalk posted a 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) win in 31 minutes over the seventh-seeded Krasilnikov and Liamin, this year's world championship bronze medallists.
"We are just getting better every game," Schalk said. "We find our side out rhythm and we were tough to stop. If we play like that we know we can do a lot of things. Ben was blocking a lot of balls and putting them in trouble. He played great."
Saxton and Schalk will play top-seeded Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena of the U.S. on Saturday. The winners advance to Sunday's "final four" matches at Rothenbaum Stadium.
The Canadian Press
