Women’s Olympic Beach Volleyball Semifinals Odds & Picks
- The American tandem of April Ross and Alix Klineman are now the +115 favorites to win the Olympic women’s beach volleyball gold medal entering the semifinals on Wednesday, August 4
- Australians Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar, who upset world #1 Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes in the quarterfinals, are the second betting choice at +230
- Teams from the USA have won three of the past four Olympic women’s beach volleyball gold medals
The old order appears to be returning to Olympic women’s beach volleyball. The gold medal had gone to teams from the USA in three consecutive Olympics. That streak was derailed five years ago in Rio de Janeiro.
A German team led by Laura Ludwig won the gold medal, while the USA settled for bronze.
April Ross was 50% of that USA team and she’s also 50% of the American tandem favored to win the gold medal in Tokyo. Ross and Alix Klineman dispatched Ludwig and the Germans in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, the young Australian tandem of Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar upended the world #1-ranked team from Canada of Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes to also advance to the semis.
It’s looking very much like the gold-medal match will be an American-Australian clash. But first, they must get through the semifinals. Those matches get underway on Thursday at 8:00 pm ET.
Olympic Women’s Beach Volleyball Semifinals Odds
| Match | Odds |
|---|---|
| Heidrich/Verge-Depre (SUI) vs Ross/Klineman (USA) | +220/-310 |
| Artacho Del Solar/Clancy (AUS) vs Kravcenoka/Graudina (LAT) | -200/+150 |
Odds as of August 4 at DraftKings
Americans Nearing Objective
American Ross has now been part of 18 beach volleyball victories at the Olympics. What she’s still seeking to experience is a golden moment.
Ross is with her third partner in as many Olympics. She won a bronze medal teamed with Kerri Walsh Jennings in Rio. Four years earlier in London, Ross and Jennifer Kessy earned a silver medal. They lost an all-American gold-medal match 2-0 to Walsh Jennings and Misty-May Treanor.
.@TeamUSA's April Ross and Alix Klineman are going to the semis 👏
The pair beat former German gold medalists Margareta Kozuch and Laura Ludwig 🏐 pic.twitter.com/YLHb2ILQ11
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 3, 2021
Walsh Jennings and May Treanor are the only American team to win Olympic gold in beach volleyball. They won three in a row from 2004-12.
Ross and Klineman will face the veteran Swiss tandem of Joana Heidrich and Anouk Vergé-Dépré. They are the reigning 2020 European champions. Both have been to the Olympics, albeit with different partners. They’re 4-1 in Tokyo.
A MUST SEE play featuring the reigning European #BeachVolleyball Champions: Anouk Verge-Depre and Joana Heidrich 🇨🇭!#ROSTER100 STORY: https://t.co/noBI5NV4Ed@FIVBBeach pic.twitter.com/DE2PbxWO6H
— Volleyball World (@volleyballworld) February 11, 2021
For the first time ever, Brazil won’t have a team in the Olympic women’s beach volleyball final four. That’s thanks to Heidrich and Vergé-Dépré. They dispatched Brazil’s last hope in the quarterfinals. Ana Patricia Ramos and Rebecca Silva lost 2-1 to the Swiss team (21-19, 18-21, 15-12).
Klineman and Ross have met Heidrich and Vergé-Dépré twice on the sand and won both matches without dropping a set. One of those matches was by walkover, it should be noted.
Nonetheless, Klineman and Ross look to be on a mission in Tokyo.
Pick: April Ross and Alix Klineman (USA) -310
Aussies Making a Statement
Pavan and Humana-Paredes are gone, thanks to the young Aussie tandem of Clancy and Artacho del Solar. The same teams met in the 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medal match and the Canadians were winners.
This time around, it was the Aussies who took it to the Canadians. They kept Pavan and Humana-Paredes on their heels for much of the match.
An incredible effort on the beach from #TeamCanada's @SarahPavan and @melissa_hp10 at #Tokyo2020 👏
After a thrilling 🏐 match, the duo fell in the quarterfinals to Australia's Taliqua Clancy and Mariafe Artacho del Solar 2-1 (21-15, 19-21, 15-12). pic.twitter.com/dKJLFyhiNA
— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) August 3, 2021
Both Clancy and Artacho del Solar participated in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio with different partners. Neither made it past the quarterfinals.
They’ll face an underrated semifinal opponent in the Latvia duo of Anastasija Kravcenoka and Tina Graudina. They were the 2019 European champions. Kravcenoka and Graudina won five gold medals in their past 10 tournaments.
🥇🇱🇻 🙌 CONGRATS to USC All-American Tina Graudina and her partner Anastasija Kravčenoka on taking GOLD at the 2019 European Championship over the weekend! #FightOn #USCBeach ✌️🏐🏆🏆🏆
Photos by: Imago Images, Golovanov + Kivrin, Scanpix 📷 pic.twitter.com/sByXo5J9wc
— USC Beach Volleyball (@USCBeach) August 12, 2019
That streak was beginning with their 2019 Olympic qualifying event. Kravcenoka and Graudina are 4-1 in Tokyo.
The Aussies and the Latvians have met four times previously. Kravcenoka and Graudina won three of those matches. However, two of their three wins went the full three sets.
Pick: Anastasija Kravcenoka and Tina Graudina (LAT) +150
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
