Following Brazilian couple Emanuel and Alison, Juliana and Larissa won the gold at the Grand Slam held in Berlin, replicating the success of their compatriots.
After beating fifth-seeded Italian pair Cicolari/Menegatti in the semifinal match, Larissa/Juliana faced Cheneese top duo Xue/Zhang Xi. The mach lasted 39 minute and was rather one-sided spectacle. In the first part Brazilian pair was visibly a better one as they took the set with 21-16, showing great confidence. The second part brought more emotions with two match points saved by Xue/Zhang Xi but eventually Larissa/Juliana claimed the victory, giving Brazilian fans another reason to celebrate.
“I’m so happy because we played with the right mentality,” Juliana said. “I’m very, very happy with our attitude and I really, really want it to stay like this for the rest of the season.”
In the bronze medal match Cicolari/Menegatti defeated Germans Holtwick/Semmler trashing local pair in the first set with 21:13. Next part was much more closer than the previous one as German couple kept pace with their rivals and the second set ended with narrow victory claimed by Cicolari/Menegatti (21:19) what meant that the bronze medal went to Italians.
“We’ve now reached four semifinals in six tournaments and won three medals,” Cicolari said. “We are still missing gold, but the main thing is we won a medal. We have improved and developed as a team and are happy with how it has gone here.”
Semifinals results
Cicolari/Menegatti (ITA) – Larissa/Juliana (BRA) 0:2
(18:21, 16:21)
Xue/Zhang Xi (CHN) – Holtwick/Semmler (GER) 2:1
(21:15, 19:21, 15:11)
Bronze medal match
Holtwick/Semmler (GER) – Cicolari/Menegatti (ITA) 0:2
(13:21, 19:21)
Final match
Xue/Zhang Xi (CHN) – Larissa/Juliana (BRA) 0:2
(16:21, 18:21)
photo: fivb.org
