Pattaya, Thailand, November 5, 2014 – Two teams from Azerbaijan as well as pairs from Australia and Japan qualified for the Main Draw of the FIVB Beach Volleyball Women’s Challenger after it began in Pattaya, Thailand on Wednesday.
The tournament will run until November 9 with a $50,000 prize purse up for grabs.
Azerbaijan’s Raquel Goncalves Ferreira and Iuliia Karimove led the charge with two straight set wins on Monday. They saw off tandems from Japan and USA in straight sets to book their place in the Main Draw. They were joined by compatriots Vivian Cunha and Zinaida Liubymova who also qualified with wins over teams from Italy and the Czech Republic.
Becchara Palmer and Zina Stone also progressed after beating fellow sisters Jordan and Justine Mowen in an all-Australian battle.
Japan’s Erika Habaguchi and Megumi Murakami complete the line-up having cruised past home duo Usa Tenpaksee and Yupa Phokongploy and USA pair Irene Hester and Caitlin Ledoux.
The Challenger continues on Tuesday with the start of the Main Draw.