I tried to watch ‘day zero’ — qualification play — yesterday, but it wasn’t very watchable. The streams had no on-screen scoreboard and no sound. Made it hard to follow and hard to get into (respectively). I know, I know, you get what you pay for, but in giving it the old ‘college try’ today I had hopes it would be better.
And I’m pleased to say it was. The day started off with one of my favourite teams.
Kessy/Ross vs. Bloem/Braakman
Not a surprise that they’d put a home team match on centre court, and there seemed to be a few people present to watch it. I actually am familiar with one of these Dutch players. I saw Rimke Braakman play a couple of tournaments last year in a partnership with Michelle Stiekema, one that I thought might be going places. Guess not!
But it was the Dutch team taking the early control, getting one on serve at 3-2 to go up two and then a service ace to bring us to the side switch. The PA announcer was speaking only Dutch, but “side switch” still came through clear as day. Guess it’s pronounced the same? The Dutch team got another ace to bring them to 8-4; despite the Americans shouting “In in in!” it landed in untouched. The Olympic silver medallists showed some uncharacteristic ball handling difficulties on the rally ending 10-4, taking an early timeout facing a large deficit. Jen later commented on twitter that the winds were playing some havoc with their reception. April got a point back on serve on the rally ending 11-7, as she elicited a free ball, but the Dutch team got it right back when Jen hit into the top of the net to make it 13-7. The halfway point came at 13-8 in favour of the Dutch side.
And the Americans made no real inroads in the remainder of the set. Braakman scored another big ace on the ‘rally’ ending 17-11 to give the Dutch team four for the first set, and after that side change, they added two more on serve before Jen and April finally sided out. The Dutch reached set point at 20-12, and converted on the second reception try at 21-14. That’s….that’s a whoopin’.
It was sideout after sideout to start set 2, Bloem and Braakman leading 4-3 on reception at the first side change, and 7-all at the second. Some fine serving pressure from April Ross led to three straight for the Americans at that point, prompting the Dutch side to call time. The run continued after the timeout, with Kessy putting up an interesting one-handed block. Looked a little off-balance, but it nonetheless worked perfectly. The Dutch got their sideout when Jen hit long on 11-7, but they gave the point right back with a service error. It was 12-9 in favour of the Americans, on reception, at the halfway point.
The Dutch team clawed a point back, to be down 15-13 on serve at the fourth change. They got their fifth ace of the match in this span. Then, the 15-13 rally itself was perhaps the best of the match, and certainly the longest. Lots of sliding saves from the Dutch side eventually led to them getting the point and closing the gap to just one. 15-14 was another long one, but the Dutch missed the chance to draw even when Braakman’s bump set to Bloem on the pin was a little too high, leading to a wide hit. April Ross then rotated to serve and got two before the Dutch could side out again, putting the Americans back up four. The Dutch closed to within two once again, at 19-17, as Jen and April looked anything but in control, but they did finish it off to force a 3rd set.
The second rally of the deciding set showed some impressive athleticism on the American side of the net, as Kessy had approximately no time to react to an instinctual dig/set from Ross, who wound up well out of the play, and still was able to get the kill. The Americans took the first real lead of the set shortly after the first side change, going ahead 5-2. The lead was 6-4 on reception at the second side change, and it increased to 9-6 at the second, as Jen and April finally started to look like themselves. But the Dutch team definitely helped, too, as they had at least four service errors in this set. Hard to get away with that in a race to 15, and they didn’t, falling by a final count of 15-10.
Maria/Agatha vs. Lili/Seixas
Brazil vs Brazil doesn’t often happen in the pool stage, so this was an interesting matchup. It started off with an even exchange of points through the first two side changes. It wasn’t strictly sideout after sideout, but as good as. Finally, a kill from Agatha at the end of a long rally ended the deadlock on 10-8 in their favour, and another on the next rally made it 11-8. That held steady to 12-9 at the halfway point, where Maria added another on serve. Amid a string that was again mostly sideout after sideout, Agatha and Maria snuck in another to lead 18-13 when their opponents called time. Lili pulled back a point at the net on the rally ending 19-15 when the ball pinballed off a few arms in quick succession, and let out a roar of delight as the ball fell in. 19-15 itself was then a very, very long rally, with athletic play on both sides of the net. The point went to Maria and Agatha when Seixas hit wide, to give them set point. They converted on serve to take the first set 21-15.
But their compatriots were undeterred in set 2, taking five of the first seven in advance of the first side change. Lefty swinger Barbara Seixas seemed to befuddle the opposing block (and dig, for that matter) in the early parts of this set. They added two more on serve to begin the second slate of seven points, and held that lead to 9-5 at the second side change. Maria and Agatha started to claw back a few at this point, prompting a timeout from their countrywomen when they closed the gap to 10-7. This held to 12-9 at the halfway point, the same score at the technical that we had in set 1 — only with the opposite team in the lead.
But this time, the team that led at the mid-point did not cruise to victory. Maria and Agatha brought the set even again at 14-all on the fourth side change, playing some absolutely scintillating volleyball that you just instinctively associate with Brazil. Brilliant two-way play, and brains just as important as brawn in terms of hitting at the net. Maria and Agatha reached match point at 20-19, but their serve flew wide, sending us to extras. Lili and Seixas staved off the second match point at 21-20, and then got their first set point at 22-21. Maria got the kill to save that one for her side, and then another to bring them back to match point at 23-22. Her serve on 23-22 was short, to tie the set once again. An ace for Lili, off Agatha, brought them back to set point at 24-23. Finally, a block at the net from Lili brought this set to a close at 25-23, sending us to another race to 15.
And they were buoyed to begin set 2, going up 7-3 after two side changes. Maria and Agatha called time down 8-3, but the margin only got steeper from there. Lili and Seixas pretty steadfastly refused to let anything touch the sand, surging to a kind of shocking 11-4 lead. They reached match point at 14-7 and put it away on reception to claim a big, big victory. This right here was probably for a knockout stage bye unless someone turns an upset.
Keizer/Van Iersel vs. Arvaniti/Karagkouni
This Greek team of some interest, pairing a 3-time Olympian (Arvaniti) with a player in just her second-ever tournament. It’s also the #1 vs #32 match by the seedlines, but the last few weeks have told us that that probably doesn’t mean a whole lot.
After an even split of the first eight points, the Greeks took four on Arvaniti’s serve to take a solid advantage and prompt the Dutch to call time. After the side change at 9-5, Keizer pulled back a couple with big blocks at the net before granting the Dutch the sideout with a serve into the net. It seemed like Arvaniti was doing most of the work on the Greek side of the net, but with the immense gap in experience between the two that was probably inevitable. It certainly doesn’t reflect ill on Karagkouni other than the obvious (that she’s inexperienced). The Greeks led 12-9 on serve at the halfway point.
The homestanding Dutch team made it back within a point at 13-12 when Keizer scored an ace off the receiver and out. The Greeks called time there. On the first serve after the timeout, Keizer got another ace as the Greeks both tried to play the ball, leaving neither of them able to. That’s something that goes away with time, those silly little communication miscues.
Despite Karagkouni’s rather remarkable lack of experience, the Dutch team weren’t serving her very much, and she seemed to be a capable setter. When she did get a hitting opportunity, on 14-all, Keizer just destroyed her at the net for a block. She got another block on the rally ending 17-15, and the Dutch at that point seemed to clue into the tactic of serving her a bit more. On the 17-15 serve, Arvaniti very smartly caught them by surprise with a kill on two, and then Karagkouni tied the set with an ace of her own. The Greeks traded a few sideouts, but then a wide hit on 19-18 gave the Dutch the first crack at set point. They converted on reception a rally later.
It was the Greeks who were first out of the gate in set 2, the young Karagkouni coming up with a monstrous block on the second rally to repay Keizer for the couple of poster-isations she gave her in set 1. But the Dutch responded with four of the next five to lead at the first side change. The Greeks called time when their deficit extended to three for the first time at 7-4.
The Dutch duo extended their advantage to 13-8 at the halfway timeout, with an angle shot from Arvaniti landing just long to bring us there. The Greeks took three straight after the timeout to prompt their opponents to call time, but that was as close as they came the rest of the way. That last timeout effectively iced Arvaniti at the service line, and Karagkouni followed her error with one of her own on 14-12. On 15-13, the Greeks really missed an opportunity, with Arvaniti’s serve eliciting an overpass. Karagkouni went to set her in response, but she tried for a back set when Arvaniti was crossing behind her to her front side. Another hallmark of a team with little experience together.
It was downhill from there, with an ace for Van Iersel to bring the Dutch to match point at 20-14. They converted on serve for a 21-14 second set final, which by the way I totally called on twitter. Hey, I was bound to get one right one of these years!
Ricardo/Alvaro Filho vs. Horrem/Eithun
On paper, this seems a decided mismatch, but of course we don’t play volleyball matches on paper. The Norwegians took the early lead, though it was mostly errors by Ricardo and Alvaro (and mostly Alvaro at that) that got them there, 5-2 at the first side change. The Brazilians closed it to 8-6 at the second side change, at which point I noticed how foreboding the clouds overhead looked. It was a little rainy earlier in the day but this was a clear potential harbinger of more.
On the rally ending 11-7, someone let out a rather disturbing scream as the ball fell for a point to the Norwegians. I thought at first it was Alvaro, but I don’t know if he’d be capable of making such a noise. At the midpoint, it was 12-9, and the sand-rakers came on wearing rain jackets. Not a great sign. The Norwegians continued to execute just the tiniest bit better than the Brazilians until late in the set. They nursed a 2-point lead for quite some time, but finally a hitting error on their side was the equaliser to make it 16-all. The Norwegians called time there, but they conceded the lead on the first rally after the timeout with another hitting miscue. After a few sideouts, they regained the lead with a block at the net on 19-18, prompting the Brazilians to call time. Horrem and Eithun reached set point at 20-18, but they couldn’t put it away on serve nor on reception. It looked to me that Ricardo’s block on 20-19 came close to hitting the antenna, but it happened right in front of the up ref, so I trust him 😛 Ricardo and Alvaro then reached set point at 21-20. They put it away on their first try to survive a set where they looked pretty sloppy for about 3/4ths of it.
My connection got a little spotty as set 2 began, but suffice it to say the Brazilians were looking a little better. They went ahead 6-3 early to prompt the Norwegians to call time, and the skies — if slightly — appeared to look a little lighter. And I thought the weather in my town had multiple personalities. It was mostly just sideout after sideout to the midpoint timeout at 12-9 Brazil.
But Horrem and Eithun continued to play with fire in their bellies, claiming three of the first four after the technical to draw within a point once again. I have to say I was impressed by their tenacity, though at the risk of being too on-the-nose, they really had nothing to lose by playing this match as aggressively as possible. The gulf in talent between the two sides is pretty stark (Ricardo and Alvaro have a bronze medal and a fourth place so far this year, while Horrem and Eithun have yet to even win one match in the main draw). Whoever screamed earlier did so again late in set 2, as Ricardo and Alvaro neared victory. They led 19-16 at the fifth side change, and there was not a sixth, as Alvaro’s kill on 21-18 ended things. Kind of an ugly match, all told.
Rosenthal/Dalhausser vs. Van Dorsten/Van de Velde
I don’t really know either of these Dutch players, but I’m thankful to them, because they get Phil and Sean an early date on centre court. I imagine congratulations are in order to Phil and his wife Jennifer on the birth of their son, being that he sat out Corrientes because the birth was imminent, but there was never any public announcement. They’re certainly under no obligation to make one, but I do find it a little odd. Congratulations all the same.
And the probable best team in the world played like it early on in this match. Serving pressure from both of them, in turn, kept the Dutch team way out of sorts. Of course Phil “Wingspan” Dalhausser being there at the net for even the slightest of overpasses sure doesn’t hurt either. They took a quick 7-2 lead before the set settled into a sideout-after-sideout groove for a bit. At 9-5, the Americans ran just a textbook block play, with Rosenthal covering Dalhausser’s soft block and coming up with the right set for a HULK SMASH from Phil. It was all just a little too easy.
Even when further serving pressure from Dalhausser led to a free-ball on 12-6, the free-ball just landed long. The Americans had a commanding 14-7 lead at the halfway point. About all the Dutch team could do was sideout — I think they scored on serve all of twice during this set. The Americans reached set point at 20-12 and put it away at 21-13 when the Dutch team’s serve flew long.
The story didn’t really change in set 2. Rosenthal and Dalhausser led throughout, applying their same mix of being better at absolutely everything, even as they seemed to let off the gas just a little. It was 13-8 at the halfway mark and I’m not sure other than siding out that the Dutch team ever reduced the deficit. The Americans reached match point at 20-14 and put it away on service. All too easy.
Alison/Emanuel vs. Redmann/Hatch
The team that might best give Rosenthal and Dalhausser a run for their money for the mantle of “best in the world” took to the outer court next. They faced a new Canadian pairing, as Mav Hatch and Christian Redmann’s first tourney together (as if this matchup needed to be even more slanted). Not sure if it’s a new permanent arrangement, or if it’s just for this week. We shall see.
The Canadian boys started strong, taking the first two points, but the Brazilians still led 4-3 at the first side change, a big block for Alison to get them there. They took four of the next seven as well to lead 8-6 after two changes. An ace for Emanuel broke a subsequent string of sideouts, but the scoring pattern still held up as it was 12-9 Brazil at the technical timeout. I wasn’t sure if the pattern was going to continue, with Emanuel serving on 15-12, but his let-ace fell in to make it 16-12 and four straight 4-3’s. Really, that’s classic beach volleyball. It is by its nature a game of inches, so taking an inch here and an inch there is often your best path to victory. I mean it’s nice when you can just blow somebody out of the water, like Rosenthal and Dalhausser in the previous match, but it doesn’t often happen that way.
And far be it from these guys to break a combo. It was 20-15 at the fifth side change, and on Brazil’s set point serve, Mav Hatch kind of absentmindedly jabbed at the ball, and it fell for an ace. I’m not sure if it wouldn’t have fallen in anyway if he hadn’t touched it. He kicked the sand in seeming disgust as the teams went to their bench areas.
The scoring pattern didn’t continue into set 2. Alison and Emanuel asserted themselves early in the 2nd, taking the first four points and a 5-2 lead at the first side change. Sure enough, though, that score was duplicated in advance of the second change, as the Canadians called time trailing 10-4. Twice was all the repetition there would be for that pattern, as the Brazilians called time on 12-7. It was 13-8 at the technical, and the deficit pretty well stayed the same to the set’s conclusion at 21-14, Alison adding two on serve to finish it.
Nummerdor/Schuil vs. Kantor/Losiak
Rogers and Doherty, a team in whom I’m reasonably interested, were also playing at this time slot on the outer court, but I had to go to centre court here to see the season debut of the Netherlands’ premier beach volleyball duo.
But it wasn’t a very exciting start to the match. It was an ‘even split’ of the first seven (Poles up one on service) to begin, and then Kantor and Losiak added three in a row to go up 7-3 and prompt a timeout from the Dutch side. This is the 1 vs. 32 match on the men’s side, and while Nummerdor and Schuil were given the #1 seed because they’re part of the host nation’s contingent, it’s not a total aberration like it was in Corrientes. They’re multi-time Olympians and multiple FIVB medallists, including two golds just last season. They’d get a single-digit seed even without being fast-tracked to #1. At the same time, the 32-seed is usually some fringe team or some unknown team. Kantor and Losiak aren’t world-beaters, but I’ve certainly written about them before, so I was a little surprised to see them come in that low. Nummerdor and Schuil pulled back a point in advance of the automatic timeout, but still trailed 12-9.
And the Poles quickly equalised. They had just a little bit more spring in their steps than the wrong-side-of-35 Dutch duo, which was kind of a surprise. I thought Nummerdor and Schuil would be amped for this one, their first FIVB match of the season, and in front of the home fans. The lead for the Polish team got as large as 5, at 16-11. Nummerdor and Schuil came within 3 at 19-16 and 20-17, and then staved off two set points, but not the third. Set 1 went to the Poles 21-19.
Set 2 started off with some really nifty defence on the Polish side of the net. The play was on their serve, and they managed to get the kill anyway despite it looking 2 or 3 different times like the rally was over in favour of the receivers. Great speed, reflexes, and ball handling skills to keep it from hitting. They took an immediate 5-2 lead at the first side change, and the second set took on much the same tone as the first. Following a bad unforced error by Nummerdor, the Dutch called time trailing 9-4. They pulled back a point on the rally ending 11-7, as the block attempt was ruled to have hit the antenna (I thought at first it was Schuil’s attack attempt that had, but evidently not). The midpoint in set 2 came with the Poles up 13-8 on serve.
And they really poured it on from there, extending to a 7-point lead at 17-10. Match point came not long after, at 20-13, and Schuil’s final service error ended the second set at 21-14. Good for Kantor and Losiak, but I was hoping for a better showing by Nummerdor and Schuil. We’ll go with “out of practice” rather than “washed up” at this point, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on. As I’ve mentioned before, this ain’t these guys’ first rodeo. They’ve been around the block a time or two. Father Time finds us all eventually.
Ukolova/Khomyakova vs. Fopma/Sweat
And it was then time for the second go-’round for the ladies. This match interested me. Ukolova and Khomyakova were in their third or fourth tournament back together after starting the year with different partners. They had some good results last year, but they were all after the Olympics, which softens the field a little bit. So this year figures to be an interesting barometer of where they truly stand (presuming they stay together). This was my first time seeing Fopma and Sweat play. Brooke Sweat is an eye-catching player. She’s rather short for a volleyball player (listed at 5-foot-8), but the most eye-catching thing about her is her very long ponytail. It just about reaches her bottom, and it swings back and forth wildly as she plays.
The Americans led early, going up 5-2 at the first side change. Sweat proved, perhaps unsurprisingly as she and Fopma do form a perfectly capable team, to be a solid passer and hitter, leading to easy scoring opportunities on the first few rallies. The Russians, though, equalised and then some pretty quickly, going up 11-9 before a service error made it 11-10 at the technical. As the set wore on, Ukolova and Khomyakova would put a little distance between the two sides, only to have Fopma and Sweat equalise. But eventually a pattern like that favours the Russians, and they pulled away at the end for a 21-15 first set final.
Interesting to note that for as easy as the Americans are to tell apart (aside from Sweat’s noticeable hair, they’re also 7 inches different in height), the Russians aren’t. They’re both listed at 5-foot-11 and have basically the same hairstyles too. If only these webcasts were high enough quality to pick out uniform numbers.
Set 2 began just as set 1 did, with the Americans leading by three at the first side change. The stream got a little choppy at that point, but it was evident that the Russians were able to equalise at around 7 or 8. An ace put them up 11-10 at the technical. Then at 15-12, that camera stopped working altogether. The match was definitely trending in the way of the Russians, but the Americans actually came back to win in three. Boo-urns on my not getting to see the whole match.
And at this point the organisers kind of padded the day’s schedule by having the last few matches run consecutively rather than concurrently. They all featured Dutch teams, and so far everybody has done this (China, Argentina, and now Netherlands), but still it irks me a little. Why stretch the day to 11 hours when it could just as easily be done in 8? Isn’t 8 enough? (no pun intended) The point of this paragraph is that I didn’t attempt to write up any of these matches. The day was long, and I sorta gave up the ghost by that point.
Full Day One results
Women’s Pool Play
Pool A
#1 Keizer/Van Iersel (NED) d. #32 Arvaniti/Karagkouni (GRE) (21-19, 21-14)
#17 Fendrick/Hochevar (USA) d. #16 Bawden/Clancy (AUS) (21-12, 21-15)
Keizer/Van Iersel d. Fendrick/Hochevar (21-18, 20-22, 15-13)
Bawden/Clancy d. Arvaniti/Karagkouni (21-15, 21-13)
Pool B
#2 Kessy/Ross (USA) d. #31 Bloem/Braakman (NED) (14-21, 21-17, 15-10)
#15 Borger/Büthe (GER) d. #18 Forrer/Vergé-Dépré (SUI) (21-18, 19-21, 15-6)
Kessy/Ross d. Forrer/Vergé-Dépré (21-17, 21-16)
Borger/Büthe d. Bloem/Braakman (21-14, 19-21, 15-11)
Pool C
#3 Holtwick/Semmler (GER) d. #30 Prokopeva/Popova (RUS) (21-16, 22-20)
#14 Maria Clara/Carolina (BRA) d. #19 Nystrom/Nystrom (FIN) (21-11, 21-13)
Holtwick/Semmler d. Nystrom/Nystrom (21-18, 21-18)
Maria Clara/Carolina d. Prokopeva/Popova (21-19, 22-20)
Pool D
#4 Cicolari/Menegatti (ITA) d. #29 Missottenova/Skalnikova (CZE) (21-14, 21-16)
#13 Schwaiger/Schwaiger (AUT) d. #20 Dubovcova/Nestarcova (SVK) (21-13, 21-13)
Cicolari/Menegatti d. Dubovcova/Nestarcova (21-19, 14-21, 15-12) Hasn’t been the greatest season so far for this Italian duo, so it’s nice to see them collect two wins today
Schwaiger/Schwaiger d. Missottenova/Skalnikova (21-12, 21-11)
Pool E
#5 Ukolova/Khomyakova (RUS) d. #28 Sinnema/Stiekema (NED) (21-13, 23-21)
#12 Ludwig/Walkenhorst (GER) d. #21 Fopma/Sweat (USA) (25-23, 30-28)
Fopma/Sweat d. Ukolova/Khomyakova (15-21, 21-18, 15-12)
Ludwig/Walkenhorst d. Sinnema/Stiekema (21-16, 21-9)
Pool F
#6 Meppelink/Van Gestel (NED) d. #27 Gioria/Giombini (ITA) (25-27, 21-15, 15-6)
#22 Bonnerova/Hermannova (CZE) d. #11 Zumkehr/Heidrich (SUI) (21-15, 23-21)
Meppelink/Van Gestel d. Bonnerova/Hermannova (21-13, 21-16)
Zumkehr/Heidrich d. Gioria/Giombini (21-18, 21-13)
Pool G
#7 Maria/Agatha (BRA) d. #26 Van der Vlist/Wesselink (NED) (21-15, 21-19)
#10 Lili/Seixas (BRA) d. #23 Kolosninska/Brzostek (POL) (21-13, 21-13)
Lili/Seixas d. Maria/Agatha (15-21, 25-23, 15-8)
Van der Vlist/Wesselink d. Kolosninska/Brzostek (21-11, 12-21, 15-6)
Pool H
#8 Talita/Taiana (BRA) d. #25 Aratcho/Ngaumo (AUS) (21-6, 21-12) Yowch
#9 Liliana/Baquerizo (ESP) d. #24 Kohler/Schumacher (GER) (21-17, 21-13)
Talita/Taiana d. Kohler/Schumacher (21-18, 21-16)
Liliana/Baquerizo d. Aratcho/Ngaumo (21-16, 23-21) And the wheat rises from the chaff
Men’s pool play
Pool A
#32 Kantor/Losiak (POL) d. #1 Nummerdor/Schuil (NED) (21-19, 21-14)
#17 Fuchs/Kaczmarek (GER) d. #16 Rogers/Doherty (USA) (21-9, 17-21, 18-16)
Pool B
#2 Alison/Emanuel (BRA) d. #31 Redmann/Hatch (CAN) (21-15, 21-14)
#18 Doppler/Horst (AUT) d. #15 Spijkers/Varenhorst (NED) (21-19, 21-19)
Pool C
#3 Dalhausser/Rosenthal (USA) d. #30 Van Dorsten/Van de Velde (NED) (21-13, 21-14)
#14 Sidorenko/Dyachenko (KAZ) d. #19 Kapa/McHugh (AUS) (21-0, 21-0) I don’t like that forfeits are now being recorded this way, but so they are. I’d be excited to see the USA/KAZ match tomorrow, after Dalhausser/Rogers played this same Kazakh duo to one of the best match I can easily recall seeing, but it doesn’t seem like that match will be on the digital airwaves tomorrow. Rats!
Pool D
#4 Pedro/Bruno (BRA) d. #29 Herrera/Gavira (ESP) (21-17, 18-21, 15-9) Good win against a very underseeded team
#13 Dollinger/Windscheif (GER) d. #18 Kubala/Benes (CZE) (15-21, 21-15, 15-7)
Pool E
#5 Gibb/Patterson (USA) d. #28 Saxton/Schalk (CAN) (31-29, 21-15)
#12 Nicolai/Lupo (ITA) d. #21 Plavins/Peda (LAT) (21-19, 21-14)
Pool F
#6 Erdmann/Matysik (GER) d. #27 Böckermann/Urbatzka (GER) (21-11, 21-17)
#11 Kadziola/Szalankiewicz (POL) d. #22 Huber/Seidl (AUT) (21-19, 12-21, 19-17)
Pool G
#7 Fijalek/Prudel (POL) d. #26 Gabathuler/Weingart (SUI) (21-16, 21-17)
#10 Samoilovs/J Smedins (LAT) d. #23 Evandro/Vitor Felipe (BRA) (21-19, 22-20)
Pool H
#8 Brouwer/Meeuwsen (NED) d. #25 Sorokins/T Smedins (LAT) (21-18, 24-22)
#9 Ricardo/Álvaro Filho (BRA) d. #24 Horrem/Eithun (NED) (22-20, 21-18)
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