U.S. beach volleyball gold medal hopefuls Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes defeated France’s Aline Chamereau/Clemence Vieira in a grueling two sets under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday.
The Americans were pushed in the second set, and were almost pushed to a third before they grinded out the win.
In the first set, France jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead but the U.S. quickly responded to tie the match at three a piece. Both sides jockeyed for the advantage in a first set that saw five lead changes.
Chamereau found early success on the attack against the American defense, but Cheng/Hughes adjusted and made a run to take control. The United States took advantage of multiple French errors to take a 16-12 lead in the set, one they carried en route to a 21-16 set one win.
The second set was another back-and-forth affair, with Chamereau/Vieira leading 12-9 at one point. The Americans clawed back to tie things at 14, and eventually 19. The second set went to a third match point when a block from Hughes sealed the U.S. victory.
It was a strong win for the Hughes/Cheng, who knocked off the No. 15 seed in the women’s tournament for their second victory in Pool C.