Considered by many as the premier international Beach Volleyball event, the capital of the federal state of Carinthia in Austria hosts the fifth of six Grand Slam events on the 2010 SWATCH FIVB World Tour calendar July 26-August 1. The US$600,000 Austrian Grand Slam marks the 14th-straight year that the Lake Wörthersee site has hosted the international circuit as teams from Brazil and United States captured women’s and men’s gold medals, respectively, in finals featuring the two Beach Volleyball powers. Brazilians Juliana Felisberta Silva and Larissa Franca notched the first 2009 Brazil-USA gold medal confrontation on the Lake Wörthersee centre court by defeating Nicole Branagh and Elaine Youngs 21-12 and 21-15 in the 39-minute women’s finale, It was Juliana and Larissa’s first Klagenfurt title after finishing fifth, fifth, second and second in their first four Austrian appearances. Beijing 2008 Olympic champions Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers evened the Brazil-USA title series the next day by out-lasting Alison Cerutti and Harley Marques 21-19, 12-21 and 15-12 in the 64-minute men gold medal match. The title was Dalhausser and Rogers’ second Klagenfurt crown after captured the 2006 gold medal by defeating Athens 2004 Olympic champions Emanuel Rego and Ricardo Santos of Brazil in the finale. Highlighting the 2009 Austrian Grand Slam was the first-ever semi-final appearance by a host country team as Barbara Hansel and Sara Montagnolli placed fourth. In becoming the first Austrian men’s or women’s team to reach the Klagenfurt “final four”, Hansel and Montagnolli posted the tournament’s biggest upset by eliminating top-seeded Maria Antonelli and Talita Antunes 21-14 and 21-17 in the quarter-finals.  Pictured to the left below is the 2009 Klagenfurt podium with Austrian fourth-place finishers Barbara Hansel (front row, left) and Sara Montagnolli.  Pictured in the back row (left to right) are Elaine Youngs, Larissa Franca, Juliana Felisberta Silva, April Ross, Nicole Branagh and Jen Kessy.