Elite16 – Rio de Janeiro, BRA – 2025
The semifinals of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Rio de Janeiro Elite will feature unexpected matchups: Latvia`s Plavins & Fokerots against Qatar`s Cherif & Ahmed, and Cuba`s Alayo & Diaz facing the Netherlands` Boermans & De Groot, all battling for a coveted spot in the final.
In a surprising twist at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour`s Rio de Janeiro Elite, two men`s teams, initially defeated in the round of 12 but granted a second chance in the quarterfinals, seized their opportunity. Both Latvia`s Martins Plavins & Kristians Fokerots and Cuba`s Noslen Diaz & Jorge Alayo secured crucial victories, advancing to Sunday`s semifinals. They are now set to face formidable opponents: Qatar`s Cherif Younousse & Ahmed Tijan, and the Netherlands` Stefan Boermans & Yorick de Groot, respectively.
The journey for the second-seeded Dutch pair, Boermans & De Groot, began Saturday with a 2-0 (21-17, 21-16) loss against the top-seeded Norwegians Anders Mol & Christian Sorum. Despite this initial setback, they progressed to the quarterfinals as one of the `lucky losers`. Capitalizing fully on this unexpected lifeline, the Dutch team orchestrated an impressive 2-1 (19-21, 21-10, 15-9) comeback victory over the sixth-seeded home favorites Evandro Oliveira & Arthur Mariano Lanci, who had just claimed the top spot at the Joao Pessoa Elite the previous week. Boermans was particularly dominant at the net, registering a remarkable 13 kill blocks en route to a match-high 26 points, while De Groot further contributed with four aces, totaling 18 points.
Similarly, third-seeded Cherif & Ahmed had previously defeated fourth-seeded Plavins & Fokerots 2-1 (15-21, 21-17, 15-12) in another tightly contested round-of-12 match. Undeterred by their earlier loss, the Latvians made the most of their second chance. They delivered a decisive 2-0 (21-14, 25-23) sweep in their quarterfinal against the 13th-seeded American Olympians Miles Evans & Chase Budinger. The experienced 40-year-old Plavins led his team with a match-high 21 points, skillfully supported by 20-year-old Fokerots, who added another 17 points.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medalists Cherif & Ahmed continued their robust performance by also winning their quarterfinal match. The Qatari duo secured a dominant 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) victory over fifth-seeded Dutchmen Steven van de Velde & Alexander Brouwer. Cherif was particularly impressive, recording 10 crucial kill blocks for a total of 20 points, with Ahmed contributing an additional 14 points to their commanding win.
Perhaps the most significant surprise of the day came from the seventh-seeded Cuban Olympians Diaz & Alayo. They advanced to the semifinals after delivering a stunning 2-1 (21-23, 21-19, 15-5) quarterfinal upset against the world`s number one team in the FIVB World Ranking, Mol & Sorum. Alayo emerged as the top scorer of the match with an impressive 27 points, including eight crucial blocks, while Diaz added a solid 15 points. Prior to this, in the round of 12, the Cubans had efficiently eliminated Austrian qualifiers Timo Hammarberg & Tim Berger with a straightforward 2-0 (21-14, 21-18) sweep.
The highly anticipated semifinals are scheduled for Sunday. The first match will see Plavins & Fokerots take on Cherif & Ahmed at 09:00 local time (12:00 UTC). This will be immediately followed by the second semifinal clash between Alayo & Diaz and Boermans & De Groot, serving off at 10:00 (13:00). The battle for third place is set for 15:00 (18:00), with the grand final concluding the event at 17:00 (20:00).
Oliver Wrenwick