Beach volleyball: Win Number 3 to sisters

Brazilian sisters Maria and Carolina Solberg Salgado made it three wins from four on New Zealand sand in the Mt Maunganui leg of the national beach volleyball pro tour yesterday.

They won the women's final 21-12, 21-13 over the United States pairing of Claire Robertson and Tracey Lindquist, but were made to work hard in their semifinal win over the top New Zealand pair.

Lucy Todd and Susan Blundell snatched a dramatic second set 22-20 in their semifinal to force a third set, and pushed the top seeds all the way before succumbing 17-15.

The Brazilians won the New Plymouth and Wellington legs but lost in the Ohope final to Germans Judith Deister and Claudia Lehmann. But Robertson and Lindquist knocked the Germans out in the semifinal.

Top seeded New Zealanders Kirk Pitman and Craig Seuseu beat Mike Peters and Brendon Heath 21-15, 21-18 in the men's final.

Peters and Heath won this event two years ago, but expended all their energy in a thrilling semifinal to beat South Africans Casey Augoustides and Colin Pocock 23-25, 21-14, 15-11.

The win was Pitman's and Seuseu's fourth consecutive victory and bodes well for next week's NZ Open in Auckland.

- NZPA