Madrid, Spain, 9 June - The first stop of the 2002 Women's World Tour in Madrid featured new teams and new mums in a tournament that saw the title go to the Americans Kerri Walsh (voted player of the tournament) and her partner Misty May, who defeated Ana Paula and Tatiana Minello in a decisive two-set result.
The Americans treated the crowd to an array of shots and spectacular blocks, while welcoming back to competition Ana Paula, who celebrated her silver medal by hugging her little boy. The Brazilian team said they were still content with their silver medal and looked forward to more winning chances on the Tour.
Aficionados saw three new teams from Brazil - Leila-Pires, Ana Paula-Minello and Alexandra-Monica, as well as some new Beach Volleyball fans, like Monica's 9-month old son Rodrigo and Ana Paula's toddler Gabriel. Another new mum, Italian Laura Bruschini, made the quarterfinals but then withdrew, citing injury, and returned home to her baby daughter.
Some 55 teams entered the qualification tournament, a record high entry for the World Tour, which guaranteed excitement from day one of the Madrid Open. The qualifiers came from 23 different nations, including entries from traditional Beach Volleyball nations like Brazil as well as more exotic participants from Latvia, Bulgaria and Germany. Eight teams then advanced to the Main Draw with excellent results from the Latvian team Minusa-Pulina and Alexandra-Monica, who went on to play against the Olympic Champions, Kerri Pottharst and Natalie Cook for third place here in Madrid.
Last year's top-ranked pair and current world champions Behar-Shelda from Brazil made an early exit in the round of 16 and never seemed comfortable here on the sand.
Cook and Pottharst, certainly pre-competition favorites, were stopped in the quarter finals by Ana Paula-Minello but then went on to take the bronze medal by defeating Alexandra-Monica, a team that could be very strong this year.
Also looking promising were Australians Sanderson-Huygens-Tholen, a wild card entry, who are both rejoining the circuit after a one-year break. They made it to the last 16. German duo Stephanie Pohl and Okka Rau also did well to reach the final 8.
Athletes enjoyed their week at the Casa de Campo, in the heart or the Spanish capital with Kerri Pottharst praising the stadium.
"This reminds me a little bit of the Olympic stadium on Bondi Beach," she said.
Women play again at Gstaad, Switzerland (June 18-22), while the men's circuit starts next week in Berlin, Germany.
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