Swatch FIVB World Tour 2010 - Sanya Open - Kerri Walsh's big come back

Kerri Walsh coming back with Nicole Branagh

(Photo source : FIVB)

The women have two more tournaments: one this week in Sanya, China, then the finale in Phuket, Thailand next week. All the top U.S. women's teams are competing: Jen Kessy/April Ross, Angie Akers/Tyra Turner, and the new partnership of Kerri Walsh/Nicole Branagh.

That last duo has played just one tournament before, but took the Dubai title in 2008. Sanya marks the international debut for Walsh this season, as she was pregnant with her second child in as many years. Branagh, meanwhile, is coming off 18 events with Walsh's Olympic-gold-medal-winning partner Misty May-Treanor. Branagh/Walsh are the No. 3 seed in Sanya, off the strength of Walsh's FIVB points from her days with May-Treanor.

All top eight seeds won their first two matches in the main draw, led by the top-seeded pair from the host country, Olympic bronze medallists Chen Xue and Xi Chang.

The Chinese duo completed their matches in exactly one hour playing time combined. They opened in the morning with a 21-13, 21-11 victory in 29 minutes over 32nd-seeded Fan Wang and Changning Zhang, who, at 16 and 14 respectively, are the two youngest players to play on the tour this season. In their second match, they disposed of Americans Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Hanson 21-13, 21-14 in 31 minutes.

1st Round Results

Round 1
16	28-Oct	09:50	4	Urata-Take JPN [31]	Goller-Ludwig GER [2]	0-2 (17-21, 18-21)	0:41
15	28-Oct	09:50	3	Gioria-Momoli ITA [15]	Bansley-Maloney CAN [18]	2-1 (21-17, 22-24, 15-7)	0:56
14	28-Oct	09:00	4	Fabjan, E.-Fabjan, S. SLO [23]	Maria Clara-Carol BRA [10]	0-2 (15-21, 17-21)	0:38
13	28-Oct	09:00	3	Akers-Turner USA [7]	Kolosinska-Urban POL [26]	2-0 (21-17, 21-17)	0:34
12	28-Oct	10:40	4	Johns-Boulton GBR [27]	Kessy-Ross USA [6]	0-2 (19-21, 11-21)	0:41
11	28-Oct	10:40	3	Tsiartsiani-Arvaniti GRE [11]	Khomyakova-Chaika RUS [22]	2-0 (26-24, 21-9)	0:40
10	28-Oct	11:30	4	Rosso-Menegatti ITA [19]	Remmers-van Gestel NED [14]	2-1 (19-21, 21-18, 15-11)	0:55
9	28-Oct	11:30	3	Walsh-Branagh USA [3]	Hüttermann-Schumacher GER [30]	2-0 (21-12, 21-8)	0:31
8	28-Oct	11:30	2	Van der Hoeven-Van der Vlist NED [29]	Schwaiger-Schwaiger AUT [4]	1-2 (21-19, 18-21, 13-15)	0:54
7	28-Oct	11:30	C	Wesselink-Meppelink NED [13]	Mouha-Van Cauteren BEL [20]	2-1 (21-19, 19-21, 15-12)	0:53
6	28-Oct	10:40	2	Mullin-Dampney GBR [21]	Nystrom-Nystrom FIN [12]	0-2 (16-21, 17-21)	0:31
5	28-Oct	10:40	C	Kolocova-Slukova CZE [5]	Baburina-Smetaniuk UKR [28]	2-1 (19-21, 21-11, 15-6)	0:42
4	28-Oct	09:00	2	Tanaka-Mizoe JPN [25]	Keizer-Van Iersel NED [8]	0-2 (14-21, 16-21)	0:34
3	28-Oct	09:00	C	Y. Huang-Yue Y. CHN [9]	Ukolova-Shiryaeva RUS [24]	0-2 (18-21, 17-21)	0:38
2	28-Oct	09:50	2	Brink-Abeler-Grün GER [17]	Hanson-Fendrick USA [16]	0-2 (17-21, 19-21)	0:39
1	28-Oct	09:50	C	Xue-Zhang Xi CHN [1]	Zhang CH. N.-Wang Fan CHN [32]	2-0 (21-13, 21-11)	0:29

2nd Round Results

Round 2
24	28-Oct	13:50	2	Gioria-Momoli ITA [15]	Goller-Ludwig GER [2]	0-2 (14-21, 20-22)	0:37
23	28-Oct	13:00	3	Akers-Turner USA [7]	Maria Clara-Carol BRA [10]	2-0 (21-16, 21-18)	0:33
22	28-Oct	14:40	2	Tsiartsiani-Arvaniti GRE [11]	Kessy-Ross USA [6]	1-2 (16-21, 21-14, 14-16)	0:46
21	28-Oct	15:30	C	Walsh-Branagh USA [3]	Rosso-Menegatti ITA [19]	2-0 (21-16, 21-13)	0:37
20	28-Oct	15:30	2	Wesselink-Meppelink NED [13]	Schwaiger-Schwaiger AUT [4]	1-2 (21-17, 16-21, 14-16)	0:50
19	28-Oct	14:40	C	Kolocova-Slukova CZE [5]	Nystrom-Nystrom FIN [12]	2-1 (21-16, 17-21, 15-10)	0:43
18	28-Oct	13:00	2	Ukolova-Shiryaeva RUS [24]	Keizer-Van Iersel NED [8]	0-2 (16-21, 15-21)	0:31
17	28-Oct	13:50	C	Xue-Zhang Xi CHN [1]	Hanson-Fendrick USA [16]	2-0 (21-13, 21-14)	0:31

Loser are ranked 25th
32	28-Oct	13:50	4	Bansley-Maloney CAN [18]	Urata-Take JPN [31]	0-2 (19-21, 16-21)	0:39
31	28-Oct	13:00	4	Kolosinska-Urban POL [26]	Fabjan, E.-Fabjan, S. SLO [23]	1-2 (26-24, 19-21, 8-15)	0:51
30	28-Oct	14:40	4	Khomyakova-Chaika RUS [22]	Johns-Boulton GBR [27]	0-2 (14-21, 19-21)	0:33
29	28-Oct	15:30	4	Hüttermann-Schumacher GER [30]	Remmers-van Gestel NED [14]	0-2 (11-21, 19-21)	0:32
28	28-Oct	15:30	3	Mouha-Van Cauteren BEL [20]	Van der Hoeven-Van der Vlist NED [29]	1-2 (21-19, 13-21, 8-15)	0:49
27	28-Oct	14:40	3	Baburina-Smetaniuk UKR [28]	Mullin-Dampney GBR [21]	2-0 (21-18, 21-18)	0:35
26	28-Oct	13:00	C	Y. Huang-Yue Y. CHN [9]	Tanaka-Mizoe JPN [25]	2-0 (21-15, 21-14)	0:35
25	28-Oct	13:50	3	Zhang CH. N.-Wang Fan CHN [32]	Brink-Abeler-Grün GER [17]	0-2 (15-21, 15-21)	0:31

To follow tomorrow the main draw live

click HERE