Pļaviņš/Fokerots Edge Italian Pair 38:36 in Rio Thriller
Latvian beach volleyball duo Mārtiņš Pļaviņš and Kristians Fokerots won their second match in Rio de Janeiro, defeating Italy in straight sets with a dramatic second set of 38:36.
In the second group stage match at the Rio de Janeiro beach volleyball event, Latvia's Mārtiņš Pļaviņš and Kristians Fokerots faced Italy's Samuele Cottafava and Gianluca Dal Corso.
The Latvians took the first set convincingly, 21:17. The second set was a marathon battle. With strong blocking by Fokerots and defensive saves by Pļaviņš, the set extended far beyond the standard 21 points. Latvia finally converted their 11th match point to win 38:36, securing the match in straight sets.
This was their second victory in Rio. Earlier, they had defeated Brazilians Lucas Sampaio and João Pedro 21:12, 21:17. Their next match is against Australians Thomas Hodges and Ben Hood.
The tournament experienced delays due to a storm early in the event, but matches are now running on schedule with additional courts. Notably, the Latvian men's team recently won the Nations Cup.
