The dynamic Canadian beach volleyball pair, 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. With superior blocking and digging skills, the Canadians outperformed their opponents. They are set to face Brazil’s Thamela Galil and Victoria Tosta in the upcoming semifinal match. Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson, who clinched the titles in 2023 and 2025, expressed confidence after their victory and are determined to analyze their upcoming opponents’ strengths for the next game.
In a surprising turn of events, the Ontario duo of Sam Schachter and Jonathan Pickett caused a major upset by defeating the world’s top-ranked team, Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson, 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) in the men’s quarterfinals. Schachter and Pickett’s solid and consistent performance led them to victory, setting up a semifinal clash against Brazil’s Renato Andrew Lima de Carvalho and Andre Stein. The Canadian pair emphasized the importance of playing fundamental volleyball at a high level to secure the win.