Three-time Olympic champion Kerri Walsh Jennings and Olympic silver medalist April Ross seek their third FIVB World Tour title this year, live on NBC and NBC Sports Live Extra on Saturday.
Walsh Jennings and Ross, who mathematically met Rio Olympic qualification earlier this week, play China’s Xue Chen and Xia Xinyi in the Cincinnati Open final.
WATCH LIVE: Cincinnati Open final -- 3 p.m. ET
Xue is a familiar opponent for Walsh Jennings.
Xue and previous partner Zhang Xi earned bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and gave Walsh Jennings and former partner Misty May-Treanor their closest match of the 2012 Olympic elimination round, a 22-20, 22-20 semifinal result.
May-Treanor retired after the London Games, though returned to domestic-only competition last year. Walsh Jennings and Ross partnered soon after Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor beat Ross and Jennifer Kessy in the London Olympic final.
Walsh Jennings and Ross have finished third or better in all five of their FIVB World Tour events this year, after Walsh Jennings had season-ending right shoulder surgery last summer.
They are Olympic medal favorites along with Brazilians Larissa and Talita and Agatha and Barbara.
