Men’s Qualifiers Deliver Thrilling Action at Rio Elite16

The men’s qualifiers at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event in Rio de Janeiro concluded in spectacular fashion on Wednesday, with all four second-round matches going to a third-set tie-breaker. Chile’s Fernando Quintero and Vicente Droguett, Germany’s Philipp Huster and Maximilian Just, England’s Joaquin and Javier Bello, and Argentina’s Juan Amieva and Maciel Bueno emerged victorious, securing the final four spots in the main draw.

Chilean Duo Stuns in Qualifiers

Chile’s Quintero and Droguett, seeded 11th in the qualifiers, pulled off a remarkable run to earn the 16th seed in the main draw. The pair, with Quintero making his Beach Pro Tour debut, started their day with a 2-0 (23-21, 21-15) upset of Brazil’s Pedro Solberg and Gabriel Dos Reis Santiago. They followed it up with a thrilling 2-1 (17-21, 23-21, 15-12) comeback victory over Portugal’s João Pedrosa and Hugo Campos.

Quintero and Droguett now find themselves in Pool A, where they will face reigning Olympic champions David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig of Sweden, Norway’s Mathias Berntsen and Hendrik Mol, and Austria’s Philipp Waller and Timo Hammarberg.

German Pair Joins Tough Pool B

Germany’s Huster and Just, seeded ninth in the qualifiers, also secured their spot in the main draw with a pair of impressive performances. They opened with a dominant 2-0 (21-13, 21-13) sweep of Brazil’s Vinicius Freitas and Heitor Barbosa, then edged out top-seeded Brazilians Gustavo Carvalhaes (Guto) and Vitor Felipe in a rollercoaster 2-1 (21-17, 9-21, 15-8) match.

The German duo will now compete in Pool B, which features Tokyo 2020 Olympic champions Anders Mol and Christian Sørum of Norway, Latvia’s Martins Plaviņš and Kristians Fokerots, and Brazil’s Andre Stein and Adelmo Gonçalves.

Bello Twins Make Their Mark

England’s Joaquin and Javier Bello, seeded fourth in the qualifiers, continued their strong form with a 2-0 (21-14, 21-19) victory over Brazil’s Felipe Alves and Henrique Camboim in the first round. In the second round, they staged a comeback to defeat USA’s Chaim Schalk and James Shaw 2-1 (18-21, 21-15, 15-10).

The Bello twins will begin their main draw campaign in Pool C against Qatari stars Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan. They will also face the Netherlands’ Steven van de Velde and Matthew Immers and Brazil’s Arthur Mariano and Pedro Sousa.

Argentine Duo Advances to Pool D

Argentina’s Amieva and Bueno, seeded second in the qualifiers, secured their place in the main draw with a commanding 2-0 (21-10, 21-12) win over Italy’s Davide Benzi and Carlo Bonifazi. They followed it up with a hard-fought 2-1 (21-19, 18-21, 15-13) victory against USA’s Hagen Smith and Logan Webber.

Amieva and Bueno will compete in Pool D alongside Brazil’s Adrielson Dos Santos and Arthur Da Silva, compatriots Nicolas and Tomas Capogrosso, and Ukraine’s Sergiy Popov and Eduard Reznik.

Main Draw Action Begins Thursday

The men’s main draw in Rio de Janeiro kicks off on Thursday at 09:00 local time (13:00 UTC). With the qualifiers delivering such dramatic matches, the main draw promises even more excitement as the world’s best beach volleyball teams battle for supremacy in the final Elite16 event of the year.

Stay tuned for more thrilling action as the competition heats up on the iconic sands of Copacabana!