Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 8, 2016 - Asian Continental Cup qualifiers Jefferson Santos Pereira and Cherif Younousse of Qatar had the “energy” to recover from a first set setback here Monday to upset FIVB World Tour veterans Adrian Gavira and Pablo Herrera of Spain in a Pool F Beach Volleyball match at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Playing in a group that also includes pairs from Austria and the United States, Jefferson and Cherif scored a 2-1 (13-21, 21-18, 15-12) win in 55 minutes over the Spaniards in the second international match between the two teams. Three months ago in Sochi, Russia, Gavira and Herrera defeated the Qatar pair in three sets.
After being dominated by the Spaniards in the first set, Jefferson and Cherif recovered from a 10-6 second set deficit to tie the set at 13s, 14s, 15s, 16s and 17s. A quick three-point run highlighted a 4-1 stretch for Qatar to end the set. In the decider, Jefferson and Cherif broke from a 5-5 tie to start controlling the final set and held a 13-9 lead enroute to the victory.
Jefferson and Cherif, who dropped their opening Rio match Saturday in two sets to Jake Gibb and Casey Patterson of the United States, are now tied with the Spaniards in Pool F and finish group play Wednesday against Austrians Alexander Huber and Robin Seidl. Gavira and Herrera, who defeated Huber and Seidl in three sets Saturday, will play the Americans Wednesday.
