Kelly Cheng
6-2
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (August 9, 2022) – After a week off for the first AVP Gold Series event in Atlanta, a handful of American beach pairs – all women – return to Beach Pro Tour action with an Elite 16 in Hamburg, Germany, this weekend.
Two American duos will compete in Hamburg, and Kelly Cheng/Betsi Flint are the only squad already qualified for the main draw. Lauren Fendrick/Zana Muno will compete in the qualifier for one of four main draw berths.
Play in Hamburg begins with the qualifier Wednesday, August 10. Main draw action starts the next day.
This will be Fendrick/Muno’s international debut; Fendrick played with Emily Stockman to begin the international season, and Muno played a pair of tournaments with Toni Rodriguez. The pair did compete together in Atlanta, however. Cheng/Flint haven’t competed internationally since June’s FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship. Earlier this year, they took fourth at the Rosarito Elite 16.
Cheng/Flint are in Pool B with Brazil’s Talita Da Rocha Antunes/Rebecca Cavalcanti Barbosa Silva and the Netherlands’ Katja Stam/Raisa Schoon. A team from the qualifier will be added to the pool, too.
Fendrick/Muno begin the qualifier at 11:50 p.m. Tuesday, August 9. They’ll face Spain’s Paula Soria Gutierrez/Sofia Gonzalez Racero in round 1. This and every match of the Hamburg Elite 16 will be streamed live on VolleyballWorld.tv.
Also This Weekend
Two Futures events will also take place this weekend, although only one has American competitors. Melissa Fuchs Powell/Tiffany Creamer will play in the Cortegaca Futures, beginning with the qualifier on Thursday, August 11.
This will be their first tournament together. Fuchs Powell has competed in several Futures events already this year, and Creamer’s played in two.
Budapest, Hungary, hosts the second Futures event, but no American pairs will compete.
