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Roundup: Dutch books another quarter spot in men's beach volleyball

Xinhua, August 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen cemented a spot for the Netherlands in the men's beach volleyball top eight at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games here Saturday by defeating Ben Saxton and Chaim Schalk of Canada 2-0 (21-12, 21-15).

They will meet compatriots Reinder Nummerdor and Christian Varenhorst, who secured the Netherlands' first berth in the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over a Mexico pair on Friday.

Russia also has two pairs entering the final eight as Dmitri Barsouk and Nikita Liamin stunned local residents and medal favorites Evandro Goncalves and Pedro Solberg 2-1 (16-21, 21-14, 15-10) in 52 minutes to eliminate the Brazilians from the competition.

By defeating Evandro and Pedro in the first-ever international match between the two teams, Barsouk and Liamin join Russia's No. 1 team of Viacheslav Krasilnikov/Konstantin Semenov in the men's quarter-finals.

In women's event, Joana Heidrich and Nadine Zumkehr became the first women's team from Switzerland to advance to the Olympic beach volleyball quarter-finals by defeating Madelein Meppelink and Marleen Van Iersel of the Netherlands.

Seeded 17th in the competition, Heidrich and Zumkehr scored a 2-1 (19-21, 21-13, 15-10) win in 60 minutes over the sixth-seeded Meppelink and Van Iersel. The best finish by a Swiss women's team in the Olympics was a ninth placing by Zumkehr and Simone Kuhn at the London 2012 Games.

With the win, Heidrich and Zumkehr will challenge top-seeded Talita Antunes and Larissa Franca of Brazil on Sunday afternoon. The Swiss are winless in three international matches against Talita and Larissa.

Australian pair Louise Bawden and Taliqua Clancy also advanced into the top 16 after posting a 2-1 (15-21, 21-16, 15-11) come-from-behind elimination win over Monika Brzostek and Kinga Kolosinska of Poland.

Bawden and Clancy will bid for their country's first semi-final berth in the Olympics since 2004 by challenging American Olympic medalists April Ross and Kerri Walsh Jennings in quarter-finals on Sunday. Ross and Walsh Jennings have won all their past four matches with the Aussies. Endit