I must have been reading from an old score sheet, because Larissa and Juliana actually enter Bangsaen this week with a slight lead over Chen Xue and Xi Zhang, not a deficit from them.
As we now know the teams that will make up the final FIVB World Tour stop of the season, we know that Larissa and Juliana have clinched the season’s points championship, as Chen and Xi are not present. In fact, it’s mathematically impossible for any team present to surpass Larissa and Juliana.
Of note as well is the fact that the other Brazilian beach duo that’s splitting, Talita and Maria, aren’t registered for the tournament. I guess this means they’ve played their last points together. That’s disappointing. They’re not (quite) as storied as Larissa and Juliana, but I was nonetheless looking forward to the opportunity to see them off, as it were.
The two principal favorites for the tournament have got to be Larissa/Juliana and Kessy/Ross. While Larissa and Juliana are already assured their seventh points championship in eight years (just…let that sink in for a second), they’ll surely want to go out with a bang as well. Kessy and Ross, on the other hand, have been in the gold medal match in Thailand (this is the first year for Bangsaen, but Phuket has hosted Tour stops before) each of the last three years, winning in 2009 and 2010.
The tournament gets underway with country quota and qualifier matches on Tuesday. My coverage will begin Wednesday. The gold and bronze medal finals are Sunday.
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