Hamburg, Germany, August 24, 2017 - Lauren Fendrick and April Ross opened Pool D play in the US$800,000 SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals here Thursday with a two-set win over Nina Betschart and Tanja Hüberli of Switzerland.
As the fifth-seeded women's pair in the 12-team competition, Fendrick and Ross scored a 2-0 (21-16, 21-1`6) win in 33 minutes over 12th-seeded Betschart and Hüberli in the first FIVB World Tour meeting between the two teams. The setback was the Swiss pair's second defeat in the event after losing Wednesday to fourth-seeded Agatha Bednarczuk and Eduarda "Duda" Lisboa of Brazil.
Fendrick and Ross, who placed second at the recently-completed FIVB World Championships in Vienna earlier this month, challenge Agatha and Duda for the Pool D title in a 5 p.m. (local time) match Thursday on the center court at Rothenbaum Stadium.