Cubans Damian Gomez and Eblis Veranes defeated Jesario Ebanks-Stephen Watson, from Cayman Islands, 2-0 (21-14 and 21-14), and advanced to today's semifinals at the Norceca beach volleyball tournament in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The duo will face Canadians Tynan Gannett and Rouzbeh Rahnavard, while the other match will be between Dominicans Francisco de Jesus and Rovin Maldonado and Garrett Bucklin and William Clements, from the Virgin Islands. The competition will end this Friday, when the medals will be disputed.
The Gomez-Veranes duo concluded the elimination round unbeaten, in group b, by beating the Salvadoran brothers Yoel and Christopher Guardado, with a 2-0 slate (21-19 and 21-17), and in their second outing they overcame the Americans Lev Prima and David Wieczorek, 2-1 (19-21, 21-14 and 21-15).
The format of the event, which was attended by 14 pairs, pitted the winners of the four preliminary rounds against the second-placed teams from different sections in the quarterfinals. The third places in each grouping went for the ninth to twelfth places.
In the quarterfinals, Dominicans Francisco de Jesus and Rolvin Maldonado defeated Prima and Wieczorek by whitewash (25-23 and 21-17); the duo Bucklin-Clements, from the Virgin Islands, overcame Canadians Martin Licht and Robert Kemp, 2-0 (24-22 and 21-17); and Gannett-Rahnavard, from Canada, triumphed, 2-0 (21-7 and 21-14), over Jose A. Meneses-Dany A. Lopez, from Nicaragua.
In the women's division, Cuba's Maykelin Drik and Mileidy Paret lost 2-0 (21-12 and 21-11) to Tara Austin and Taylor Buckner, from the Virgin Islands, and by the same score, but with a score of 21-12 and 21-16, to the United States' Pery Brennan and Molly Phillips. In the battle for a place from nine to 12, they lost to the Quintana Roo players Nallelín Taveras-Karla Ramírez, 2-0 (21-17, 21-17).
For the eighth year, Punta Cana is hosting the main Norceca event, a preparatory competition for the U-23 qualifying tournament for the Junior-2025 Pan American Games in Asuncion, Paraguay, to be held in the same venue from the 6th to the 10th of this month.
