The Canadian beach volleyball pair comprising 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, outperforming their opponents. They will face Thamela Galil and Victoria Tosta of Brazil in the upcoming semifinal match, following Brazil’s victory over the American duo of Julia Donlin and Lexy Denaburg in a close 21-17, 13-21, 18-16 match.
In previous editions, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson clinched the titles in 2023 and 2025, while also securing an Olympic silver medal in between. Humana-Paredes mentioned their strategy of reviewing past encounters with the Brazilian team to capitalize on their strengths in the next match, having previously defeated them during pool play.
Additionally, on the same day, the Ontario pair of Sam Schachter and Jonathan Pickett caused a major upset by advancing to the men’s semifinals in the FIVB Beach Pro Tournament. Ranked 39th, the Canadian duo defeated the world’s top-ranked team, Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson, with a score of 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) in the quarterfinals at Parc Jean-Drapeau. Schachter and Pickett, hailing from Richmond Hill and Wiarton respectively, also eliminated Austria’s Alexander Horst and Paul Pascariuc earlier in the day.
Reflecting on their victory against the top-ranked team, Schachter attributed their success to consistent and solid volleyball gameplay rather than flashy maneuvers. They are set to face Brazil’s Renato Andrew Lima de Carvalho and Andre Stein in the next round, aiming to secure a spot in the tournament’s final.