Martes 24 de octubre de 2023.- With the presence of Chilean President Gabriel Boric in the stands at Peñalolén Park, the local pair of María Francisca Rivas and Chris Vorpahl advanced to the quarterfinals of female’s beach volleyball.

The enthusiasm of the president seemed to help the local duo, who won 21-18 and 21-16 in 48 minutes of play against the Colombian pair composed of Diana Ríos and Margarita Guzmán.

In the next round, the locals will face the Americans Sarah Murphy and Corine Quiggle on Wednesday, who advanced directly to the round of eight by winning their group.

The Argentine pair of Ana Gallay and Fernanda Pereyra also secured their spot in the next phase by defeating the Dominicans Julibeth Payano-Bethania Almanzar 21-18 and 21-15 in 40 minutes. They will face the Mexican duo of Atenas Gutiérrez Guzmán and Abril Flores Castro.

Another quarterfinal match will be between the Canadians Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson and the Puerto Ricans María González and Allanis Navas, who on Tuesday won 21-17 and 21-14 against the Ecuadorian team of Ariana Vilela and Karelys Simisterra.

The final match in female category will feature the Peruvian pair of Lisbeth Allcca and Claudia Gaona, who defeated the Paraguayans Michel Valiente-Erika Mongelós with a double 21-19 score. They will play for a spot in the semi-finals against the Brazilian duo of Ana Silva and Eduarda Santos.

Among the men, the Canadians Jake MacNeil and Alexander Russell defeated the Uruguayans Hans Hannibal and Nicolás Llambías with a score of 21-14 and 21-16, and on Wednesday, they will face the local favorites, cousins Esteban and Marco Grimalt.

In addition, the Brazilians Andre Loyola and George Souto defeated the Paraguayans Giuliano Massare and Gonzalo Malgrejo with a double 21-14 score. They will now face the Argentine brothers Nicolás and Tomás Capogrosso.

The men's quarterfinal matchups are completed by the Ecuadorians Marcos Tenorio and Dany León, who only faced difficulties in the first set against the Bolivians Luis Calvo and Ruddy Salvatierra, whom they defeated 23-21 and 21-10. In the quarterfinals, they will face the Cubans Nielsen Díaz and Jorge Luis Alayo.

The Mexicans José Ramón Virgen and Miguel Sarabia, on the other hand, defeated the Colombians Juan Carlos Noriega and Johan Murray with scores of 23-21 and 21-19, and they will face the pair of Logan Webber-Hagen Smith.

Written by Felipe Hurtado; translated by Andrés Castro / Photosport
Photo by Jonnathan Oyarzun / Santiago 2023 / Photosport