Dubai: Mercedes Basutto of Argentina and Anja Borsheim of Norway combined to win the Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship over the weekend.
In the final, it was the combination of Basutto and Borsheim showing a better understanding with a 21-15, 21-12 win over the defending champions’ mother-daughter combination of Mirvat Hamza and Mirna Sheikho from Lebanon.
It was sweet revenge for Basutto and Borsheim as the duo had gone down in the preliminary round match against the mother-daughter pairing earlier in the day.
The Polish-German pair of Krzysia Urbanska and Luisa Rodemer finished third following a 21-16, 22-20 win over Selin and Soha in the play-offs.
Earlier in the semi-finals, Basutto and Borsheim got the better of Urbanska and Rodemer 21-15, 21-4, while defending champions Mirvat and Mirna had powered past the Turkish-Iranian pair of Selin and Soha 21-8, 21-19.
Organised by MVP Sport Services, the tournament attracted some top names through the top eight teams confirmed at the private beach of Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Residence.
Born in Argentina, Basutto began her career with La Esperanza Club when she was just eight years old. Growing up, she went on to represent her state and then as a member of the national squad.
In 2006, Basutto became the champion of the Icelandic National Cup representing Thróttur Club, and then between 2013 and 2017, the Argentine won the inter-Airline Volleyball crowns while representing Emirates Airlines en route bagging the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award on two occasions.
Borsheim began her career with the Norwegian national team while playing in the top league back home for a decade. Her professional leanings brought her to the UAE where she excelled winning various local competitions including the Skydive Dubai and Sharjah Ladies Club competitions besides BVB tournaments in the UAE, Lebanon, Spain and Maldives.
Former international volleyball player and coach Mounir Abbouchi, who heads MVP, presented the medals and prizes to the players from the top three teams.
RESULTS
Final Basutto/Borsheim bt Hamza/Sheikho 21-15, 21-12
Third place Urbanska/Rodemer bt Selin/Soha 21-16, 22-20
Semi-finals Basutto/Borsheim bt Urbanska/Rodemer 21-15, 21-4; Hamza/Sheikho bt Selin/Soha 21-8, 21-19