Canadian beach volleyball duo Humana-Paredes, Wilkerson ousted in quarterfinals at worlds
Toronto pair swept by Australia's Clancy, Artacho del Solar in Mexico
Canada's Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson saw their run at the beach volleyball world championships come to an end in the quarterfinals on Friday in Apizaco, Mexico.
The fourth-ranked Toronto duo had won five straight matches without surrendering a set, but they lost a battle of unbeatens against Australian stars Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar, who swept the Canadians 22-20, 21-16.
The Tokyo silver medallists, ranked fifth, held off Canada's lone remaining team in a back-and-forth opening set before taking control in the second. The Australians led 29-22 in attacks and 4-0 in aces, while Clancy led all players with 21 attack points and three service points.
The Canadians, who finished fifth in Mexico, were coming off a 21-14, 21-11 win over Switzerland's Esmée Bobner and Zoé Vergé-Dépré in the Round of 16. They defeated Finland's Niina Ahtiainen and Taru Lahti-Liukkonen 21-17, 21-17 in the Round of 32 after going 3-0 in pool play.
WATCH | Humana-Paredes/Wilkerson vs. Clancy/Artacho del Solar, full match replay:
The Canadians were trying to crack the top-five at an event for the first time since winning gold in July at the Elite 16 in Montreal. The duo has been consistent all year. They've yet to fall out of the top five through eight tournaments, also winning gold in June at the Challenger event in Jurmala, Latvia.
The women's and men's champions will earn quota spots for their respective countries at Paris 2024 and a share of the $1 million purse. The tournaments are also a good opportunity for teams to pick up points and improve their world ranking, with the top 17 teams in each gender automatically qualifying for the Olympics.
With the fifth-place finish, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson should retain their top-10 ranking.
They will join fellow Canadians Jake MacNeil and Alex Russell at the upcoming Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, with the beach volleyball tournaments taking place Oct. 21 to 27 at the Parque Peñalolen. The Games do not factor into qualification for Paris.
Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson are also set to compete at the Elite 16 in João Pessoa, Brazil, running Nov. 22 to 26.
WATCH | Humana-Paredes excited for Pan Am Games in parents' home country of Chile:
Playoffs at the beach volleyball worlds continue through the weekend, with medal matches set for Sunday. All the action will be live streamed on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.
Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes of the United States also advanced to the semifinals on Friday with a 21-14, 21-16 win over Brazilians Tainá Silva Bigi and Victoria Lopes. They will face fellow Americans Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth, who beat Switzerland's Nina Brunner and Tanja Hüberli 2-1.
Brazil's Ana Patricia Silva Ramos and Eduarda "Duda" Santos Lisboa, the defending champs and top-ranked duo, booked their spot in the semis with a straight-sets win (21-16, 21-16) over Katja Stam and Raïsa Schoon of the Netherlands.
