Clancy and Artacho are the first team outside of Europe or the Americas to play in the semifinals

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An excited Artacho celebrates a point

Mariafe Artacho and Taliqua Clancy couldn’t have found a better way to crown their successful international season as the Australians topped their pool in the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Finals Hamburg 2018 presented by Vodafone and advanced to the semifinals.

The Australians dominated Pool B with three victories and just one setback. The result that ultimately put them in the semifinals was a 21-15, 22-20 victory over Germans Victoria Bieneck and Isabel Schneider at the Red Bull Beach Arena.

“We didn’t start well, but we did a really good job of staying patient during both sets,” Artacho explained. “Especially in the end of the second set we just needed to make sure we stayed really composed and trusted each other for the next one. It’s such a special feeling now, it’s really incredible”.

It will be the first time they compete together in the final four of a Beach Major Series event and also the first occasion when a team outside of Europe or the Americas finds its way in to the semifinals of the World Tour Finals.

“We just wanted to build from yesterday and we knew that there would be a strong crowd against us, so we’d have to bring our best. We knew we had to play absolutely great matches to have a chance here and after the disappoint loss against the Czechs we knew we really had to fight. I’m so proud of what we achieved so far.”

The Australians will now wait for the matchup between Canada’s Brandie Wilkerson/Heather Bansley and Czech Republic’s Markéta Sluková/Barbora Hermannová to know their semifinal opponents.

Brazilians Maria Elisa Antonelli and Carolina Solberg, who are also in the semifinals, will play either compatriots Agatha Bednarczuk and Duda Lisboa or Germany’s Julia Sude and Chantal Laboureur.

What a close one this was! Watch every #HamburgFinals match live and again on demand on BeachStream [link in bio] @timeagathaeduda @bara.maki.beach @vodafone_de @hamburg_de @redbull

136 Likes, 2 Comments - Beach Volleyball Major Series (@beachmajorseries) on Instagram: "What a close one this was! Watch every #HamburgFinals match live and again on demand on BeachStream..."