Lezana Placette and Alexia Richard of France delivered a standout performance at the Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event in Brasília, clinching a spot in the knockout stage with two impressive victories on the tournament’s opening day.

Entering the competition ranked 22nd, the French pair kicked off with a hard-fought three-set win in the qualifiers against compatriots Clémence Vieira and Aline Chamereau. Building on that momentum, they advanced to the main draw and pulled off a major upset by defeating the third-seeded American duo, Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft, in another intense three-set match. A key factor in their success was their potent serve, which yielded 10 aces in the match.

Placette and Richard were the only team to claim two victories on the first day, setting up a high-stakes meeting with current Olympic champions Ana Patricia Ramos and Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda) in Pool C. The winner of this clash earns a direct pass to the Round of 12.

Other notable results from day one include:

• Italy’s Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth sweeping Austria’s 12th-seeded Kligner sisters.
• Brazilian top seeds Thamela Coradello and Victoria Lopes surviving a challenging three-set match against Canadian qualifiers.

The Elite16 tournament continues Thursday, with teams battling for direct advancement to the later knockout stages or facing elimination in the Round of 18.

For the full story, visit the official Volleyball World article.