The duo started their Pool A campaign at the Vodny Stadium Beach Sports Centre with a 21-14, 21-15 victory over Russia’s Svetlana Kholomina and Olga Motrich

They then went onto defeat the United States’ Kelly Claes and Sara Hughes 21-18, 21-18.

There were also two wins from as many outings for second-seeded Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst in Pool B.

Playing in only their second FIVB event since Ludwig’s right shoulder surgery in December, the Germans came from behind to beat Czech Republic’s Magdalena Dostalova and Karolina Rehackova 14-21, 21-19, 15-9 and Brazil’s Maria Antonelli and Carolina Salgado 17-21, 21-17, 15-13.

Among the other group victors were 19th-seeded Victoria Bieneck and Isabel Schneider of Germany in Pool C and fourth-seeded Agatha Bednarczuk and Eduarda "Duda" Lisboa of Brazil in Pool D.

The Netherlands’ Madelein Meppelink and Sophie van Gestel forfeited their match against Bieneck and Schneider, who went onto overcome fellow Germans Julia Sude and Chantal Laboureur 21-15, 21-13.

Bednarczuk and Lisboa defeated France’s Ophélie Lusson and Alexandra Jupiter 21-15, 21-16 before beating Germany’s Margareta Kozuch and Karla Borger 21-17, 20-22, 19-17.

In the men’s competition, 25^th-seeded Anders Mol and Christian Sorum of Norway won both their matches today to secure top spot in Pool H and a first-round bye in tomorrow’s 24-team elimination bracket.

After upsetting eighth-seeded Viacheslav Krasilnikov and Nikita Liamin of Russia 27-25, 21-17, the pairing registered a 21-16, 19-21, 15-12 victory over 24th-seeded Maciej Rudol and Jakub Szalankiewicz of Poland.

If Mol and Sorum pick up two more wins tomorrow, they will become Norway’s first men’s or women’s beach volleyball team to advance to an FIVB Beach World Tour "final four" since July 2011, when Tarjei Skarlund and Martin Spinnangr came fourth on home sand at an international stop in Stavanger.

"We not only competed against more experienced players and teams today, but we also handled the weather conditions," Mol, 19, said

"But, we need to be prepared for tomorrow against another tough team."

Two countries had two pool-winning pairs today with Brazil and the US both achieving the feat.

Brazil’s came courtesy of third-seeded Alison Cerutti and Bruno Oscar Schmidt in Pool C and sixth-seeded qualifiers Gustavo "Guto" Carvalhaes and Pedro Solberg in Pool F.

American victors were fourth-seeded Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena in Pool D and 12th-seeded Theo Brunner and Casey Patterson in Pool E.

The elimination rounds will be played tomorrow and Saturday (June 3) before the medal matches take centre stage on Sunday (June 4).

The event in Russia’s capital is the sixth double-gender stop on the 2017 FIVB Beach World Tour calendar and eighth overall this season.