Duda and Ana Patrícia win Clash of Titans in João Pessoa

Upset in pool play, Olympic champions Eduarda 'Duda' Lisboa and Ana Patrícia Ramos of Brazil and world champions Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova of Latvia crossed paths in this week's Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour João Pessoa Elite earlier than most expected, meeting in the tournament's Round of 16 on Friday.

Fed from the energy of their fans, Duda and Ana Patrícia triumphed in straight sets (21-13, 21-14), progressing to the tournament's quarterfinals and knocking out a team that was among their main challengers at the Cabo Branco Beach this week.

• Watch the João Pessoa Elite live on VBTV

The Olympic champions are among the eight last women's teams still standing in the tournament, alongside another duo from Brazil, four from the United States and one from each of Italy and Paraguay.

Prior to their victory over Tina and Anastasija, Duda and Ana Patrícia faced their first setback in the tournament, falling to Germans Melanie Paul and Lea Kunst 2-1 (15-21, 21-16, 15-10) in their last Pool A match. Their opponents in the quarterfinals will be Americans Piper Ferch and Teegan Van Gunst, who eliminated the Germans with a three-set (18-21, 21-16, 15-11) victory in the Round of 16.

The second Brazilian team in the quarterfinals is formed by Thâmela Coradello and Victoria Lopes, who advanced thanks to a straight-set (21-13, 23-21) win over Lithuanians Ieva Vasiliauskaite and Erika Kliokmanaite. They will now play Americans Taryn Brasher and Kristen Cruz (formerly Nuss), who were awarded an injury victory over Brazilian veterans Talita Antunes and Taiana Lima after their opponents couldn't complete their match.

Playing their first tournament together, Americans Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft also made it to the quarterfinals after taking down compatriots Abby Van Winkle and Molly Phillips in two sets (21-13, 21-16) in the Round of 16. Their opponents for a spot in the semifinals will be Paraguayan Olympians Michelle Valiente and Giuliana Corrales, who eliminated French Clémence Vieira and Aline Chamereau in the tie-breaker (16-21, 21-19, 15-9).

American qualifiers Savvy Simo and Devon Newberry continued to shine in João Pessoa on Friday, knocking out German Olympians Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann in three sets (21-19, 17-21, 15-5) in the Round of 16. Their next opponents, Italians Claudia Scampoli and Giada Bianchi also produced a massive result, beating Dutch Olympians Raisa Schoon and Katja Stam in the tie-breaker (19-21, 23-21, 15-13).

Beach Pro Tour João Pessoa Elite - Match Schedule & Results

The four quarterfinals are the only matches scheduled for the women on Saturday in João Pessoa. The semifinals and medal matches will take place on Sunday.

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