Kristiansand, Norway, August 30, 2008 - Maria Antonelli and Vanilda dos Santos Leao of Brazil defeated Norwegian Nila Hakedal/Ingrid T?rlen with 21-16, 21-16 in 43 minutes to win the SWATCH FIVB World Tour Otera Open here on Saturday

The duo are the fourth Brazilian tandem to win a World Tour event this season They had played only 17 World Tour events together, with a silver medal from Marseille as the best. Their short international beach volley history were crowned with gold Saturday.

Antonelli and Vanilda dos Santos Leao has been a tandem for three years, the first two playing in domestic tournaments in Brazil. Their international break-through came with a fifth spot in SWATCH FIVB World Tour Smart Grand Slam in Berlin this season.

The third-seeded Norwegian team defeated fifth-seeded Doris and Stefanie Schwaiger of Austria 2-0 (21-15, 25-23) in 55 minutes in their semi final Saturday morning, while first-seeded Antonelli/Leao scored a 18-21, 21-19 and 15-13 win in 64 minutes against their compatriots, second-seded Maria Clara Salgado Rufino/Carolina Solberg Salgado in the other semi final.

The Norwegians Nila/Ingrid were definitely favourites of the crowd at the 2.500 seat Centre Court in Tresse. It didn’t help against the Brazilians.

In the bronze-medal match, Stefanie and Doris Schwaiger of Austria won their first SWATCH medal by defeating the second-seeded Maria Clara/Carol 21-17, 20-22 and 15-9 in 58 minutes. 46 minutes.

No matter what the semi final results had been, SWATCH FIVB World Tour Otera Open would have given a first time ever World Tour winner. Nila/Ingrid and Antonelli/Leao have lost one final each, the Norwegians in Shanghai 2007 and the Braziliens in Marseille 2008. Maria Clara and Carol have bronze medals from Stare Jablonki and Marseille 2008, while Schwaiger/Schwaiger played their first World Tour semi final ever in Kristiansand.

Play in the SWATCH FIVB World Tour Otera Open 2008 continues through Sunday when the final four men’s teams compete for the $28,000 first-place prize in the fifteenth of 20 women’s events on the 2008 SWATCH-FIVB World Tour calendar.