Langkawi, Malaysia, April 16, 2017 - All roads led to Langkawi on Saturday for the first FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour event in Malaysia.
The competition at the Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort and Spa marked the debut of some home teams,
as the field featured Olympians and rising stars.
It was the first time for London 2012 volleyball silver medallist David McKienzie to play an international match on Malaysian soil.
But Rio 2016 Olympians Nivaldo Diaz and Sergio Gonzalez defeated Americans McKienzie and Andrew Dentler (21-16, 21-15) in the opening match of the competition.
Following her podium finish in the World Tour event in Sydney, Australia’s Mariafe Artacho wanted to keep the momentum going.
And so did Scotland’s Lynne Beattie and Melissa Coutts.
Australia’s Artacho and partner Brittany Kendall lost 2-1 (21-15, 18-21, 16-14) to USA’s Kimberly Dicello and Emily Stockman in the second round, while the Scottish duo Beattie/Coutts lost in straight sets (21-10, 21-19) to Russia’s Yulia Abalakina/ Ksenia Dabizha in Round 1.
Six European sides made it to the semifinals, set on Sunday.