SANTA ROSA, Laguna — Ukrainian duo Valentyna Davidova and Anhelina Khmil showcased a commanding start before surviving a tense second-set thriller, 21-13, 24-22, to eliminate Olympian Taliqua Clancy and Stefanie Fejes of Australia and book their spot in the semifinals of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Nuvali Challenge on Saturday at the Nuvali Sands Courts here.
Davidova and Khmil dominated the opening set before weathering a spirited comeback attempt from the returning Clancy — who made her first appearance in this year’s Beach Pro Tour — and Fejes, who pushed the Ukrainians to the limit in the second set before ultimately bowing out.
The ninth-seeded Ukrainian pair kept control in the early stages of the second frame before Clancy, a silver medalist in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, ignited a 5-1 surge that turned a 13-16 deficit into an 18-17 advantage for the No. 15 Australians.
It turned into a back-and-forth affair from there, with both sides trading heavy blows in a tense finish, before a crucial double contact violation by Khmil handed Australia a 19-20 set point opportunity.
Khmil quickly atoned for her earlier mistake with back-to-back conversions to put Ukraine on top, 21-20, but Clancy and Fejes showed grace under pressure, saving two match points to extend the thrilling exchange deep into the frame.
The set remained on a knife’s edge before Khmil finally broke through with a well-placed drop shot to create another opening, before Fejes misread her attack as it sailed long, sealing the victory and sending Ukraine to the semifinals of the tournament organized by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) under the leadership of chairman Patrick Gregorio.
“It was a hard battle from both sides. We knew who we were going to play against. We knew Steffi and Taliqua,” said two-time Beach Pro Tour gold medalist Khmil, who finished with 24 points in the win.
“They’re such great players, and we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. But it was a great performance from us, and we had so much fun. We’re really thrilled that we managed to win,” she added.
Khmil and Davidova will take on another Team USA pair in No. 10 Madelynn Anderson and Alaina Chacon, who earlier defeated Brazil’s Andressa Ramalho and Taina Bigi, 21-16, 21-19, in the semifinals on Sunday at 8 a.m.
Meanwhile, top-ranked Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte of Lithuania will battle No. 26 Emi van Driel and Mila Konink of the Netherlands also at 8 a.m.
Pualikiene and Raupelyte imposed their will from start to finish, dismantling Ukraine’s Tetiana Lezerenko and Sofiia Kurnikova, 21-7, 21-17, to power into the semifinals of the tournament supported by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Rebisco, Akari, Ayala Land, and PLDT, in commanding fashion.
Van Driel and Konink, meanwhile, also stamped their class, sweeping past fellow Dutch pair Nigella Negenman and Floor Hogenhout, 21-9, 21-14, to complete their own march into the top four of the prestigious international tilt hosted by the City of Santa Rosa and supported by Medical South City Luzon and Jersey Haven.
In the men’s division, No. 5 Julian Friedli and Jonathan Jordan of Switzerland will face off against No. 10 Thomas Hodges and Ben Hood of Australia, while No. 9 Adrian Heidrich and Yves Haussener of Switzerland will take on No. 14 Philipp Huster and Sven Winter of Germany, both at 9 a.m.
Friedli and Jordan scored a dramatic 17-21, 28-26, 18-16 victory over Austria’s Paul Pascariuc and Alexander Horst earlier in the day, while Hodges and Hood swept Latvia’s Ardis Bedritis and Arturs Rinkevics, 21-18, 21-11.
On the other hand, Heidrich and Haussener delivered the biggest upset of the round, toppling top-seeded Eylon Elazar and Kevin Cuzmiciov, 21-18, 21-13, to book a spot in the semifinals, while Huster and Winter also advanced after staging a reverse sweep over compatriot Maximilian Just and Lui Wust, 18-21, 21-16, 15-10.
