Paf Open
Kazakhstan's Alexey Sidorenko looks on as Teppo Pulkkinen and Petri Parvianen desperately lunge for the ball in the qualifying matches in Aland.

Paf Open
Paolo Ingrosso of Italy bumps the Mikasa but he and brother Matteo fail to make the Main Draw.

Paf Open
Poland's Mariusz Prudel looks on in despair as he and partner Fijalek lose the bronze medal match to Brazil's Emanuel and Alison.

Paf Open
Marcio (top) and Benjamin team up to clear the Mikasa during the men's gold medal match where they beat Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser to the title.

Beijing Grand Slam
Yaroslav Koshkarev of Russia receives as the Beijing Grand Slam begins in China.

Beijing Grand Slam
Players relax ahead of the men's final four matches, with Brazil's Emanuel and Alison favourites to take the title.

Beijing Grand Slam
Patrick Heuscher (left) and Jefferson Bellaguarda of Switzerland celebrate their bronze medal victory.

Beijing Grand Slam
Jonas Reckermann (right) of Germany receives for Julius Brink but they are beaten by Emanuel and Alison in the final.

Brasilia Open
Bockermann receives the Mikasa in the Country Quota tournament at the Brasilia Open.

Brasilia Open
Brazil's Franco celebrates as he and Lipe beat Norway's Horem and Hordvik.

Brasilia Open
USA's Keenan tries to reach the Mikasa in the match against Brazilians Pedro Cunha and Pedro Solberg

Brasilia Open
USA's Todd Rogers secures one of his many digs of the Mikasa during he and teammate Phil Dalhausser's two-set win over Brazil's Alison Cerutti and Emanuel Rego for the gold medal.

Brasilia Open
A toast to the FIVB Beach Volleyball SWATCH World Tour Brasília 2011 medallists

1 to 1 Energy Grand Slam
Rhooney Ferramenta from Brazil celebrates during the country quota matches at the Gstaad Grand Slam.

1 to 1 Energy Grand Slam
Kay Matysik from Germany receives as he and Jonathan Erdmann finish ninth.

1 to 1 Energy Grand Slam
Grzegorz Fijalek from Poland stretches for the Mikasa.

1 to 1 Energy Grand Slam
Brazil's Alison Cerutti (left) and Emanuel Rego celebrate as they take top spot in Gstaad with a win over USA's Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser.

HP Beach Open
Tim Lokerse from the Netherlands serves the Mikasa during a country quota match at The Hague Open, the penultimate men's event on the 2011 Swatch World Tour.

HP Beach Open
Fair play between American duos Matt Fuerbringer and Lucena and Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal as the two clash. Gibb/Rosenthal eventually come out on top.

HP Beach Open
Yaroslav Koshkarev celebrates as he and Konstantin Semenov pick up a bronze medal for Russia.

HP Beach Open
Dutch players Richard Schuil and Reinder Nummerdor are all smiles as they pick up silver, their first medal of the year while Brazil's Cunha and Ricardo take the crown.

World Championships
The impressive centre court at Foro Italico sits quietly ahead of the World Championships Rome 2011.

World Championships
USA's Sean Rosenthal sets for partner Jake Gibb at the tournament. The duo eventually finish 17th.

World Championships
Germany's Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann could not defend the title they won in 2009, but did come away with the bronze medal.

World Championships
Brazil's Emanuel and Alison celebrate as the pick up the men's World Championship.

A1 Grand Slam presented by Volksbank
A picturesque press conference in Klagenfurt ahead of the Grand Slam event.

A1 Grand Slam presented by Volksbank
Nick Lucena from USA dives for the Mikasa during the Main Draw. He and Matt Fuerbringer eventually go on to finish fifth.

A1 Grand Slam presented by Volksbank
USA's Phil Dalhausser blocks against Pedro Cunha of Brazil as he and Todd Rogers take bronze.

A1 Grand Slam presented by Volksbank
Germany's Julius Brink in the final against Pedro Cunha and Ricardo. The Brazilians eventually finish on top.

Moscow Grand Slam
The Moscow Grand Slam gets set to begin in the Russian capital.

Moscow Grand Slam
Ricardo Santos from Brazil and Joshua Slack from Australia take a tumble in their qualifying match.

Moscow Grand Slam
Emanuel from Brazil spikes as he and Alison take the title in Moscow.

Moscow Grand Slam
Jefferson Bellaguarda and Patrick Heuscher from Switzerland had a surprise run, making the final.

Prague Open
Russians Evgeniy Romashkin (left) and Maksim Hudyakov talk tactics as the duo take on Alexey Pastukhov and Yury Bogatov in a country quota match at the Prague Open.

Prague Open
Sebastian Chevallier receiving the ball as he and Sascha Heyer compete in the Main Draw in Prague.

Prague Open
Brazil's Alison received as he and Emanuel deal USA's Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser their first loss of the 2011 FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour in Prague.

Québec Open Jeep 2011
Local player, Canadian Grant O'Gorman bumps the Mikasa at the Quebec Open.

Québec Open Jeep 2011
Nick Lucena from USA dives for the ball as he and Matt Fuerbringer progress to the final.

Québec Open Jeep 2011
Sweeping the podium for the first time in FIVB history were USA's Nick Lucena/Matt Fuerbringer (silver), Phil Dalhausser/Todd Rogers (gold) and Jake Gibb/Sean Rosenthal.

China Shanghai Jinshan Open
USA's Casey Patterson dives for the Mikasa return

China Shanghai Jinshan Open
Estonia's Jaani is blocked by Brazil's Pedro at the Swatch net

China Shanghai Jinshan Open
Eyes locked on the incoming Mikasa is China's Penggen Wu while partner Linyin Xu watches on

ConocoPhillips Grand Slam Stavanger 2011
Canada's Christian Redmann in action at the Stavanger Grand Slam.

ConocoPhillips Grand Slam Stavanger 2011
Tarjei Skarlund and Martin Spinnangr from Norway on their way to the bronze medal in front of the their home fans

ConocoPhillips Grand Slam Stavanger 2011
Brazil's Marcio Araujo (left) and Ricardo Santos, Gold Medalists in Stavanger.

Mazury Orlen Grand Slam
Bo Soderberg from Denmark spikes at the Stare Jablonki Grand Slam as the World Tour returns to Poland.

Mazury Orlen Grand Slam
Alison from Brazil is on top form as he spikes as partner Emanuel watches.

Mazury Orlen Grand Slam
Grzegorz Fijalek from Poland excited home fans in the final alongside Mariusz Prudel, but they came up short to finish with silver.

2011 Youth World Championships
Lukasz Kaczmarek, right, and Macjej Kosiak from Poland came from behind to win the Youth World Championship in Umag, Croatia as they defeated Norway's Andreas Takvam and Runnar Sannarnes.

2011 Junior World Championships
Ukraine's Sergiy Popov (black hat) and Valeriy Samoday fall to the sand celebrating their win over Poland's Piotr Kantor and Bartosz Losiak as they take the Men's Junior title in Halifax, Canada.

Paf Open
Norway's Janne Kongshavn streches for the Mikasa in a qualification match.

Paf Open
Julia Sude (right) and Jana Kohler from Germany put on a good performance to finish fifth overall in Aland.

Paf Open
Brazil's Larissa drops her visor as she and Juliana meet compatriots Talita and Antonelli in the bronze medal match.

Paf Open
Cheering supporters watch Chen Xue and Zhang Xi pick up their first title of the year as they beat Americans Kerri Walsh and Misty-May Treanor in the final.

Beijing Grand Slam
Local hero Xi Zhang of China digs as they end their tournament fifth, failing to produce the scintillating form which saw them take the Olympic Games silver medal when they last played at the venue in 2008.

Beijing Grand Slam
Katrin Holtwick (right) and Ilka Semmler of Germany celebrate as they make the finals after a glittering run.

Beijing Grand Slam
Kerri Walsh (right) of USA receives for Misty May-Treanor as they finish on top of the podium in Beijing.

Brasilia Open
USA's Laura Fendrick, left, enjoys a victory moment with teammate Booke Hanson at the Brasilia Open.

Brasilia Open
USA's Kerri Walsh blocks at the net in her and Misty-May Treanor's return to the tour.

Brasilia Open
China's Xi Zhang with the Mikasa in Brasilia.

Brasilia Open
USA's Laura Fendrick, left, enjoys a victory moment with teammate Booke Hanson at the Brasilia Open.

1 to 1 Energy Grand Slam
Sara Montagnolli of Austria dives for the Mikasa as she and Barbara Hansel finish 15th.

1 to 1 Energy Grand Slam
Greta Cicolari (right) and Marta Menegatti from Italy claimed the bronze.

1 to 1 Energy Grand Slam
The women's final between Zhang Xi and Chen Xue of China and Juliana and Larissa of Brazil is played in front of a packed crowd.

1 to 1 Energy Grand Slam
From Brazil's Larissa with love as she and Juliana pick up a sixth consecutive podium finish.

HP Beach Open
Rimke Braakman (NED) blocks the Mikasa from compatriot Jolien Sinnema in a country quota match.

HP Beach Open
Evelina Tcholakova of Bulgaria bumps the Mikasa as Desislava Nikolova gets ready to set.

HP Beach Open
Greek players Vasiliki Arvaniti (left) and Maria Tsiartsiani celebrate as they finish fifth in the Hague.

HP Beach Open
Juliana dives for the Mikasa as she and Larissa edge Misty-May Treanor and Kerri Walsh in the final.

World Championships
The Foro Italico in Rome gets ready to host the women's World Championship.

World Championships
Germany's Laura Ludwig (right) and Sara Goller celebrate as they come through their pool matches. The tandem end the tournament in ninth place.

World Championships
China's Chen Xue services as she and Zhang Xi take the bronze medal in Rome.

World Championships
Brazil's Juliana Felisberta (right) and Larissa Franca celebrate their gold medal win after they beat Olympic champions Kerri Walsh and Misty-May Treanor to the title.

A1 Grand Slam presented by Volksbank
Georgia's Andrezza Martins digs during the women's Main Draw.

A1 Grand Slam presented by Volksbank
Marleen Van Iersel of the Netherlands digs on the way to her and Sanne Keizer's bronze medal win.

A1 Grand Slam presented by Volksbank
China's Chen Xue (right) receives for Xi Zhang in the final.

A1 Grand Slam presented by Volksbank
A delighted Kerri Walsh with her children after she and Misty-May Treanor clinch the title.

Moscow Grand Slam
Roos Van der Hoeven from Netherlands celebrates as she and partner Jantine Van der Vlist make it through the qualifiers.

Moscow Grand Slam
Marleen Van Iersel from the Netherlands in her and Sanne Keizer's loss to Brazil's Juliana and Larissa.

Moscow Grand Slam
The stage is set for the final day of the women's edition of the Moscow Grand Slam.

Moscow Grand Slam
Misty May-Treanor from USA dives for the Mikasa as she and Kerri Walsh beat Juliana and Larissa for the first time this year in the final.

Myslowice Open
Romana Elblova (receiving) and Stepanka Stastna of the Czech Republic at the Myslowice Open in Poland as the city hosts the second women's only event of the year.

Myslowice Open
Switzerland's Simone Kuhn receives the ball in Myslowice as she and partner Nadine Zumkehr qualify for the Main Draw.

Myslowice Open
The Netherland's Marleen Van Iersel (right) and Sanne Keizer in the final of the Myslowice Open against USA's Jen Kessy and April Ross who they eventually beat to gold.

Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT
France's Laura Longuet dives for the Mikasa during a qualification match at the final stage of the Women's Swatch World Tour 2011 in Phuket.

Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT
Thailand's Tanarattha Udomchavee hits as partner Rumpaipruet Numwong watches Russia's Ekaterina Khomyakova block in Main Draw action.

Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT
Australia's Becchara Palmer serves during the semifinal of the tournament. She and partner Louise Bawden eventually went down to China's Xi Zhang and Xue Chen.

Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT
Jen Kessy of the United States dives for the Mikasa as her partner April Ross runs to assist.

Phuket Thailand Open powered by PTT
Gold medal winners China's Xi Zhang (left) and Chen Xue as the World Tour concludes for 2011.

Québec Open Jeep 2011
Rebecca Billings from Canada stretches for the Mikasa in front of her home fans.

Québec Open Jeep 2011
Takemi Nishibori from Japan celebrates as she and Urata eventually finish 13th.

Québec Open Jeep 2011
Liliana Fernandez from Spain dives for the ball in a semifinal match.

Québec Open Jeep 2011
It is an all-Brazilian women's podium for the 19th time in World Tour history in Quebec

Olympic Bay Sanya Open
Totally in the air reaching for the Mikasa is Great Britain's Denise Johns

Olympic Bay Sanya Open
Battle at the Swatch net between Italy's Valeria Rosso and China's Ying Huang

Olympic Bay Sanya Open
Heading directly to the Mikasa is two-time Olympic champion Misty May-Treanor of the United States

Olympic Bay Sanya Open
China's Xi Zhang diving for the Mikasa

Olympic Bay Sanya Open
Brazil's Juliana Felisberta Silva digs the Mikasa up

China Shanghai Jinshan Open
Russia's Anastasia Vasina prepares for the Mikasa pass from partner Evgenia Ukolova

China Shanghai Jinshan Open
Netherlands' Sanne Keizer sets the Mikasa up while her partner Marleen Van Lersel is ready to take off and smash behind the net

ConocoPhillips Grand Slam Stavanger 2011
Katrien Gielen from Belgium receives at the women's Stavanger Grand Slam.

ConocoPhillips Grand Slam Stavanger 2011
The crowd enjoy the final day of the tournament as the tournament boils down to just four teams.

ConocoPhillips Grand Slam Stavanger 2011
Germany's Laura Ludwig dives as they pick up a surprise win over Brazil's Juliana and Larissa in the semifinal.

ConocoPhillips Grand Slam Stavanger 2011
Gold Medalists American's April Ross (left) and Jen Kessy.

2011 Youth World Championships
Poland's Katarzyna Kociolek, right, and Karolina Baran celebrate their gold medal victory in Umag, Croatia as they beat Austria's Lena Plesiutschnig Katharina Schutzenhofer to top spot.

2011 Junior World Championships
Joana Heidrich of Switzerland reaches to bump the Mikasa as Canadians Melissa Humana-Paredes and Victoria Altomare look on. Heidrich and partner Nina Betschart eventually win gold.

Morocco Open
Spain's Adrian Gavira saving the Mikasa at the Morocco Open in Agadir, the final event of the 2011 Swatch World Tour.

Morocco Open
USA's Nick Lucena receives during a semifinal match.

Morocco Open
Richard Schuil (left) and Reinder Nummerdor celebrating their first gold medal win of the season as the circuit concludes.

Olympic Test Event 2011 - London
Courts are prepared in a typically overcast London ahead of the Beach Volleyball Invitational in the Great Britain capital, a test event for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Olympic Test Event 2011 - London
Great Britain's Denise Johns dives for the ball as she and Lucy Boulton perform in front of their home fans.

Olympic Test Event 2011 - London
Fans, including bassist for the Rolling Stones Ronnie Wood (far right), enjoy the action on the final day.

Olympic Test Event 2011 - London
Angela Vieira and Lili Maestrini from Brazil eventually finished top of the podium, beating USA's April Ross and Jen Kessy to the title.