Aussie golden girls win beach volleyball semi-final against Latvia

Australia has booked a spot in the women’s beach volleyball gold medal match with our girls putting on a masterclass in Tokyo today.

Mariafe Artacho del Solar. Picture: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Australia’s Mariafe Artacho Del Solar and Taliqua Clancy have won their semi-final against Latvia with a crushing performance.

They won in straight sets, meaning they will face the USA in the final for the gold or silver medal.

The Aussie duo got off to a superb start in their women’s beach volleyball semi-final against Latvia, leading 17-14 in the first set.

Mariafe Artacho del Solar. Picture: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

But the Latvians showed their class by winning three consecutive points to even the scores in Tokyo.

After failing to convert a couple of set points soon after, the Aussie girls held their nerve to claim the opening set 23-21.

After claiming the first set, they fell behind early in the second

Australia stunned with a great performance. Picture: Maja Hitij/Getty Images

Their Latvian rivals took an 10-8 lead as they looked to force a decisive third set.

But the Australian duo pulled off a stunning comeback, dominating the following passage of play to win the second set 21-13.

Speaking after the match, del Solar told Channel Seven they were nervous before taking to the court.

They will now face the USA in the final on Friday. Picture: Alex Coppel.

“Nerves are normal but we tried to turn them into positive fire, excitement, aggression,” she said.

“So, yeah, I was just super confident that we were able to come back, if we kept focussing on our processes and what we’ve been doing as a team, so, super stoked. I don’t know what to say.”

You can catch the final at 12.30pm on Friday Eastern Australia Time.

- more to come