2012 Sanya Open runner-up duo Juliana/Larissa claim bronze at Shanghai
Juliana-Larissa defeated Dutch duo of Keizer-Van Iersel in straight sets and got hold of the third position at the 2012 Shanghai Grand Slam. The final set scores of the match were 29-27, 21-13.
Brazilian tandem was moved to classification match for third position after they received defeat from China’s Xue-Zhang in the semi-final match. The hot favourite of the competition, Chinese Xue-Zhang held off Juliana-Larissa for 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) victory.
On the other hand, Talita-Antonelli of Brazil crossed their ways with Netherlands’ Keizer-Van Iersel in the second semi-final match. The Dutch pair received the same treatment like Juliana-Larissa and lost the match in straight sets. Second-seeded Talita-Antonelli posted 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) victory over Keizer-Van Iersel and sent them to bronze medal match.
In the third position match, Juliana-Larissa and Keizer-Van Iersel staged a great battle on the sand. The opening set was full of thrilling moments. Brazilian duo produced powerful spikes but Dutch side responded in the same tone. The ball kept moving in the air for most of the time, while both teams jumped on every little opportunity to score points.
After many ups and downs, Juliana-Larissa managed to secure first set with a small margin of two points at 29-27. The effort of Dutch players was commendable but luck was not on their side.
With one-set in hand, Brazilian duo came even harder on the opponents in second set. Keizer and Van Iersel tried to cover the deficit in second set but faced a lot of resistance from the opposite side. Pumped Juliana provided plenty of power to her serves, which promptly hit the sand on Dutch side. Likewise, Larissa made good use of her hands and provided more damage to the rival side.
Second set quickly inched its way to the end, while Juliana-Larissa controlled the operations. They developed a great chemistry between them and did not allow Keizer-Van Iersel to come up. Eventually, Juliana and Larissa closed second set with final score of 21-13 and settled for bronze-medal victory.
Juliana and Larissa did pretty well but still it was not what most of their fans expected from them. The Brazilian duo claimed six gold medals in the previous edition of SWATCH FIVB World Tour. However, the team has not been able to create some huge spark on the scene in running season. Second place finish at the Sanya Open in China is their best record on the 2012 SWATCH FIVB Tour so far.
The Brazilian fans have high expectations that the Juliana-Larissa will soon come to action and get their hands on the gold.
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