Chaim Schalk (Red Deer, AB) and Ben Saxton (Calgary, AB) are Canada's fourth team to reach the Top Four of a FIVB event this summer, another record for Canadian beach volleyball. For a team who have been so close on any occasions, this first venture into the semi-finals is made all the more important by who they had to eat to get there. The pair from Alberta defeated the Top Ranked Nummerdor/Varenhorst in the quarters- 21-19, 21-13.
Next up are Russians Semenov/Krasilnikov, a tough-team who's also cracking the medal rounds for the first time this year. Last time they made it past quarters was in 2014 at home at the Moscow Grand Slam, where they took him the Gold.