Ontario pair Sam Schachter and Jonathan Pickett caused a significant upset by advancing to the men’s semifinals at the Elite16 beach volleyball tournament in Montreal. The 39th-ranked Canadian duo defeated the top-ranked pair, Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson, with a 2-0 victory (21-19, 21-17) in the quarterfinal match held at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Saturday. Schachter, hailing from Richmond Hill, Ont., and Pickett, from Wiarton, Ont., also secured a win against Austria’s Alexander Horst and Paul Pascariuc earlier in the day. In the upcoming semifinal on Sunday morning, they are set to compete against Brazil’s Renato Andrew Lima de Carvalho and Andre Stein.
Meanwhile, on the same day, Canadian players Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson are aiming for a third consecutive victory in the women’s category. The Toronto duo is scheduled to face Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Kravcenoka in the quarterfinals. Live coverage of the event can be accessed through CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson have previously secured the titles in 2023 and 2025, with an Olympic silver medal in between.