Press Release

KLAGENFURT, AUSTRIA, July 28, 2004 - The women's Qualification Tournament for the A1 Grand Slam, presented by Nokia, opened here Wednesday with country quota matches being played for host Austria, Brazil and Germany.

Austria has already placed two other teams in the Main Draw, including Sara Montagnolli and Barbara Hansel and the Schwaiger sisters (Doris and Stefanie). The host country can place four other women's tandems in the 32-team Main Draw that starts Thursday in the US$540,000 A1 Grand Slam.

With 20th-seeded Chrisi Gschweidl and Sabine Swoboda receiving a bye, six other teams from Austria played off for three additional spots in the qualifier's elimination bracket that determines the last eight entries into the Main Draw.

Advancing from the elimination bracket from the Austrian country quota are the teams of 25th-seeded Annabelle Borchard/Irina Brandstetter, 28th-seeded Jill Jasber/Jasmin Moser and 31st-seeded Kerstin Pichler/Isabelle Czerveniak, who upset 26th-seeded Christine Mellitzer/Cornelia Rimser 21-16, 18-21 and 17-15.

Top-seeded Renta Ribeiro and Shaylyn Bede advanced from the Brazilian country quota match by scoring a 19-21, 21-12 and 15-10 win over sixth-seeded Alexandra Fonseca and Monica Rodrigues, who captured the silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games with Adriana Samuel.

Tenth-seeded Helke Claasen and Martina Stoof won the German country match to advance to the elimination bracket in the qualifier by defeating 15th-seeded Judith Deister and Mireya Kaup 15-21, 21-18 and 25-23.

The A1 Grand Slam women's qualifier also features two teams that have qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, including second-seeded Nila Ann Hakedal, Ingrid Torlen of Norway, the fifth-seeded Yanchulova (Lina and Petia) of Bulgaria and 13th-seeded Leigh-Ann Naidoo/Julia Willand of South Africa.

The A1 Grand Slam is the 10th of 12 events for women this season on the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour. The fourth A1 Grand Slam concludes Sunday when the winning team shares $41,000 for the first-place prize.