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