Brazilian qualifiers Adelmo Folha and Mateus Dultra delivered a stunning upset at the Yucatan Challenge on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour. Entering as the 30th seed, they capitalized on errors by Italy’s third-seeded Samuele Cottafava and Gianluca Dal Corso, securing a 2-0 (21-16, 21-18) victory in Pool C.
Other qualifiers also impressed in Puerto Progreso:
- Brazil's Pedro Oliveira and Renato Lima started with a win.
- Switzerland's Yves Haussener and Julian Friedli also triumphed in their opening match.
In Pool B, the second-seeded Chilean duo Marco and Esteban Grimalt recovered from a first-set loss to defeat Italy’s Alex Ranghieri and Manuel Alfieri in three sets. Meanwhile, Americans Chaim Schalk and James Shaw outlasted Argentina’s Juan Bautista Amieva and Maciel Bueno, aided by Shaw’s eight kill blocks.
Pool D featured more thrilling three-set battles:
- The Netherlands' Ruben Penninga and Matthew Immers fought back to beat Swiss qualifiers Adrian Heidrich and Jonathan Jordan.
- France's Remi Bassereau and Calvin Aye edged past Americans Tri Bourne and Evan Cory after a slow start.
Top seeds faced little resistance, winning in straight sets:
- Cuba’s Noslen Diaz and Jorge Alayo
- Austria’s Christoph Dressler and Philipp Waller
- Brazil’s Gustavo Carvalhaes (Guto) and Vitor Felipe
Germany’s Jonas and Benedikt Sagstetter, along with Brazilian qualifiers Gabriel Santiago and Felipe Alves, couldn't overcome their higher-seeded opponents.
The tournament continues Friday, with decisive matches set to determine final pool standings and automatic spots in the knockout round.
Source: Volleyball World
