Anna Scarlett's hopes of one day making it as a pro on the beach volleyball circuit were bolstered yesterday when she and partner Rebecca Reidy produced the upset of the day at the New Zealand Open.
Seeded five, Scarlett and Reidy beat fellow New Zealanders and fourth seeds Lucy Toddand Susan Blundell in a classic quarter-final.
Victory has set up a semifinal clash with the top seeded Brazilian sisters Maria Clara Salgado and Carolina Salgado, who cruised into the semis with an emphatic two-set victory over the eighth-seeded New Zealanders, Hayley and Justine Stovold.
Scarlett, 21, who has also played for the Silver Ferns, says she plans to carry on playing both netball and beach volleyball in the off season until 2007. Her focus is on playing for the Silver Ferns at the World Championships in Fiji and then making a decision on her future.
"I love netball and have a lot of goals and ambitions that I want to fulfil. I'll carry on playing beach volleyball in the summer as long as I'm allowed to.
"I'm learning the sport all the time and I guess if you look at my frame, it is more suited towards volleyball than netball.
"The idea that netball is a non-contact sport is a bit of a joke. There is no way I could play both professional beach volleyball and netball."
Top seeds Sasha Heyer from Switzerland and Dutchman Emiel Boersma remain on track to take out the men's title.
