Defending champions Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson secured two wins on Thursday at the Montreal Elite stop on the FIVB Beach Pro Tour. The Toronto pair defeated Brazil’s Carolina Horta and Ana Patricia Ramos with a score of 21-12, 21-12 in their first match, followed by a 21-13, 21-16 victory over the Lithuanian duo of Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte.
Having won in 2023 and 2025, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson are aiming for a third consecutive title. In 2024, when there was no tournament in Montreal, the duo had lost to Ramos and Eduarda (Duda) Lisboa in the beach volleyball gold-medal game at the Paris Olympics.
In a match of revenge, the Toronto team outscored the Brazilians 26-18 in attack points and 8-1 in serves. Lea Monkhouse of Mississauga, Ont., and Marie-Alex Belanger of Saint-Alphonse-Rodriguez, Que., suffered a 21-15, 21-15 defeat against Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova of Latvia.
On the men’s side, Samuel Schachter of Richmond Hill, Ont., and Jonathan Pickett of Wiarton, Ont., had a mixed performance with one win and one loss, while Cameron Chadwick of Barrie, Ont., and Steven Abrams of Georgetown, Ont., lost both their matches.
The competition will run until Sunday at Parc Jean-Drapeau.