Paris: Sweden and Germany stormed into the Olympic men’s beach volleyball semi-finals on Tuesday in front of a frenzied crowd as stadium temperatures rose in front of the Eiffel Tower.
The world No 1, Swedish duo David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig, booked a place in the semi-finals by thrashing opponents Evandro Goncalves Oliveira Junior and Arthur Diego Mariano Lanci of Brazil in straight sets.
The Brazilian pair whipped up an excited crowd but were slower to get going on the court, and the youthful top-seeded pair made some spectacular blocks against the Brazilian duo to earn their decisive victory.
The Swedish men, both aged 22, have become known for their use of an aggressive playing style known as the “Swedish jump-set”, which adds an element of unpredictability to attacking play.
There were rowdy cheers through the game, with a psyched-up crowd dancing to the “Macarena” and singing along to a round of “Voulez-vous” by Swedish pop sensations Abba.
The spectacular venue has drawn large crowds, with the stands filled with fans posing for selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower in streaming sunshine.
Organisers said the sand temperature reached 38 degrees Celsius on the central court, as crowds sheltered under flags, hats and fans in the exposed stands.
Superb hits
Earlier on Tuesday, third-ranked Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler of Germany knocked out Dutch pair Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot, in the first quarter-final match.
The German pair just had the edge on their orange-clad opponents, helped by some superb hits from a vociferous Ehlers — who stands at 6ft 11 inches (2.11m) — to win in two straight sets 22/20 and 21/15.
“We were quite nervous but I screamed everything out ... I screamed every point. I was as loud as I could,” Ehlers told reporters after the match.
He said he would not be staying to watch their potential future opponents play because he was headed straight “for an ice bath”.
Beach volleyball has become one of the most popular events at the Olympics since its inclusion in 1996.
But the sport has drawn particular attention in Paris — partly for the venue’s spectacular location, and partly for the controversy surrounding Dutch player Steven van de Velde, a convicted rapist who was controversially selected for the Olympics despite his criminal past.
Van de Velde and teammate Matthew Immers were knocked out of the competition Sunday.
The first round of women’s quarter finals will be played later Tuesday evening.
