Pļaviņš and Fokerots reach Rio de Janeiro semifinals
Pļaviņš and Fokerots beat Argentina's Capogrosso brothers in the Rio de Janeiro Elite16 quarterfinals to reach the semifinals.
The Latvian beach volleyball team of Pļaviņš and Fokerots advanced to the semifinals of the Elite16 tournament in Rio de Janeiro after beating Argentina's Capogrosso brothers 2-0 (21:18, 21:11) in the quarterfinals. The Argentine pair had won silver at a Challenge tournament in Mexico in March.
In the opening set, the Latvians built a quick lead thanks to Pļaviņš' defence and Fokerots' effective play at the net. After the Argentines fought back to 5:5 and 6:7, Fokerots served an ace and Pļaviņš made a defensive play to restore control. The pair later led 15:12, but allowed the opponents to level at 18:18. Fokerots then won an aerial duel and an Argentine error gave the Latvians the set 21:18.
The second set was lopsided from the start. Fokerots' block made it 4:2, then the Latvians extended the lead to 11:7 and 12:7, helped by Argentine mistakes and Pļaviņš' successful attacks after solid defence. Fokerots added two blocks to make it 14:7 and 16:9, and the set ended 21:11.
Pļaviņš/Fokerots will now face Austria's Hammarberg/Berger in the semifinals. Their head-to-head record against the Capogrosso brothers now stands at 2-1. Earlier in the Rio tournament, the Latvians won two group matches, against Brazil and Italy, then lost to Australia, before beating Israel in the Round of 16.
At previous Rio events, Pļaviņš/Fokerots took third place in 2024 and fourth in 2025. A few weeks ago, the Latvian men's national team, including this duo, won the Nations Cup.
