(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
Partain & Benesh Begin Strong in Montréal Beach Volleyball Elite Event
Paris Olympians Secure Qualifier Win to Enter Main Draw
Montréal, Canada – American beach volleyball stars Miles Partain and Andy Benesh have made a winning return to Montréal, starting their campaign at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite event with a convincing qualifier victory on Wednesday.
Two years ago, the duo clinched silver in the Canadian city, and now, after a challenging run in recent international events, they’re aiming for another podium finish. This week, however, their path began in the qualifiers – and they wasted no time making a statement.
As the top-seeded men’s team in the qualifiers, Partain and Benesh played just one match, sweeping Swiss pair Yves Haussener and Julian Friedli in straight sets (21-14, 21-16) to advance to the main draw. They now join Pool D alongside Brazilian Olympians Evandro Gonçalves and Arthur Lanci, world champions Ondřej Perušič and David Schweiner of Czechia, and Canadian wildcards Sam Schachter and Jonathan Pickett.
Strong Performances Across the Men’s Qualifier
Australia’s Izac Carracher and Mark Nicolaidis advanced in style, defeating Canada’s Guillaume Rivest/Jacob Van Geel (21-13, 21-18) and Austria’s Christoph Dressler/Philipp Waller (21-16, 21-19). Germany’s Sven Winter and Lukas Pfretzschner also impressed, winning both of their matches in straight sets, while Chile’s Marco and Esteban Grimalt battled through two Brazilian pairs to book their place in the main draw.
Australian Women Dominate Qualifiers
Australia enjoyed further success in the women’s category, with two teams making it through. Taliqua Clancy and Jana Milutinovic won both matches in straight sets, while compatriots Elizabeth Alchin and Georgia Johnson secured their spot after a hard-fought tie-break victory against the Czech duo Kylie Neuschaeferova and Martina Maixnerova.
The Netherlands’ Mila Konink and Raisa Schoon advanced after a dominant opening win over Canada’s Dana Roskic/Emma Kunaus and a tie-break victory against Americans Savvy Simo and Abby Van Winkle. Spain’s Olympians Daniela Álvarez and Tania Moreno claimed the final main draw spot with back-to-back straight-set wins.
With the main draw set to begin Thursday, fans can expect high-intensity action as world-class teams battle for glory in Montréal.
