Paraguay opens South American Olympic beach volleyball qualifier with five wins

Paraguay made a strong start to the South American Olympic beach volleyball qualifier, winning five of six matches on the opening day in João Pessoa, Brazil.

Michelle Valiente and Giuliana Poletti, Paraguay’s representatives at Paris 2024, opened the women’s competition with two emphatic 2-0 victories, defeating Colombia and Venezuela. Fiorella Núñez and Denisse Álvarez also began with a 2-0 win over Argentina, before losing 2-0 to Brazil.

In the men’s competition, Gonzalo Melgarejo and Matías Yegros beat Peru 2-0. Jorge Riveros and Guliano Massare secured one of the day’s most closely contested wins, defeating Uruguay 2-1.

The results keep all four Paraguayan pairs in contention for a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Paraguay made history at Paris 2024 when Valiente and Poletti secured the country’s first Olympic beach volleyball qualification. The current teams are now pursuing another appearance on the sport’s biggest stage.

Paraguay’s schedule includes matches against Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil. Melgarejo and Yegros will face Venezuela at 2 p.m., followed by Riveros and Massare against Peru at 2:50 p.m. Valiente and Poletti will play Peru at 3:40 p.m., while Núñez and Álvarez meet Ecuador at 4:30 p.m. Melgarejo and Yegros return against Argentina at 6:10 p.m., and Riveros and Massare close the day against Brazil at 8:30 p.m.