The 2025 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16 in Rio de Janeiro kicked off with a thrilling upset as unseeded Czech pair Tadeas Trousil and Jiri Sedlak stunned their higher-ranked opponents. Entering the qualifiers on a wild card, the Czech duo defeated the top-seeded French team of Rémi Bassereau and Calvin Aye with a commanding 2-0 victory (21-15, 21-16).
Sedlak's impressive performance was crucial to their win. He notched seven kill blocks and three aces, leading all players with 24 points—an outstanding individual effort. This match was just one of many surprising results on a dramatic day of qualifying action.
Other Major Upsets
- England’s defending Rio champions, Joaquin and Javier Bello, were knocked out by Brazilian pair George Wanderley and Saymon Barbosa in a nail-biting 2-1 match (21-18, 19-21, 16-14).
- Portugal's Joao Pedrosa and Hugo Campos, recent tournament champions in Joao Pessoa, failed to reach the main draw after a tight 2-1 defeat (19-21, 22-20, 19-17) to Dutch players Ruben Penninga and Matthew Immers.
- Chile’s Vicente Droguett and Fernando Quintero added to the day’s drama by defeating the fourth-seeded Germans, Lukas Pfretzschner and Sven Winter, in three sets.
Teams Advancing to the Main Draw
The following countries will be represented in the 24-team main draw, which begins on Thursday:
- Austria
- Brazil
- Chile
- Czechia
- Germany
- Israel
- Netherlands
- Norway
With a mix of experienced contenders and emerging teams, the main event is expected to deliver fast-paced action as squads battle for ranking points and prestige in the ongoing 2025 season. Matches begin at 15:00 local time (18:00 UTC) in Rio.
Read the full report on the official Volleyball World website here.
