Heading into these Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the buzz surrounded Brazil's top women's duo Talita Antunes and Larissa Franca. But in today's first women's semifinal match at Copacabana Beach, Germany Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst ended the Brazilians' gold medal hopes.

Ludwig and Walkenhorst are having a fantastic year. With five gold medals so far on the FIVB World Tour, they lead the women's field. They won the gold medal at the Klagenfurt Major in Austria just a week before the start of the games in Rio.

I need some time to realise what we've done here, especially over the last four years. There's been tough times and now we're in the final of the Olympics. I can't believe it.

Both duos in this morning's semifinal went undefeated in pool play, but today Ludwig and Walkenhorst were the much better team. After a 21-18 victory in the first set, they were absolutely dominant in the second, winning the match and punching their ticket to the gold medal contest, 21-12.

"I need some time to realise what we've done here, especially over the last four years," Ludwig said. "There's been tough times and now we're in the final of the Olympics. I can't believe it."

Joining them in the gold medal match tomorrow evening at 10 p.m. ET will be the winner of today's second semifinal between Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross of the USA and Barbara Seixas and Agatha Bednarczuk of Brazil.