Two teams that were previously eliminated in the early knockout stages have emerged as title contenders at the 2025 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16 in Rio de Janeiro. Latvia’s Martins Plavins & Kristians Fokerots and Cuba’s Jorge Alayo & Noslen Diaz capitalized on their second chance and have triumphantly advanced to the semifinals.
After being reinstated through the "lucky loser" route, both duos delivered impressive performances in the quarterfinals:
- Plavins & Fokerots defeated 13th-seeded Americans Miles Evans & Chase Budinger in straight sets.
- Alayo & Diaz delivered a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Norway’s top-ranked Anders Mol & Christian Sorum.
Now, the semifinal matchups are set:
- Plavins & Fokerots (Latvia) vs. Cherif Younousse & Ahmed Tijan (Qatar)
- Alayo & Diaz (Cuba) vs. Stefan Boermans & Yorick de Groot (Netherlands)
The Qatari team advanced after eliminating the fifth-seeded Dutch pair Steven van de Velde & Alexander Brouwer. Meanwhile, Boermans & de Groot edged out Brazil’s Evandro Oliveira & Arthur Mariano Lanci in a tightly contested three-set duel.
Schedule for Sunday’s Final Rounds:
- Semifinal 1: 09:00 local time
- Semifinal 2: 10:00 local time
- Bronze medal match: 15:00 local time
- Gold medal match: 17:00 local time
The surprise run of these underdogs has electrified Copacabana Beach. With star teams ousted, the tournament is set for a thrilling conclusion led by tenacious challengers ready to seize their moment.
Read the full story from Volleyball World here.
