PARIS, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- American duo Miles Evans and Chase Budinger were defeated 2-0 by defending champions Anders Mol and Christian Sandlie Soerum in the beach volleyball round of 16 at the Paris Olympics on Monday.
This marks the end of former basketball player Budinger's first Olympic journey. The 36-year-old competed in the NBA from 2009 to 2016 before transitioning to beach volleyball, making him a notable figure in the tournament.
Facing highly-ranked Norwegian defending champions, Budinger and Evans struggled to keep pace and lost the match 21-16, 21-14 in just 38 minutes.
"They will probably go down as one of the best teams to ever play together. They've been on top of the beach volleyball circuit for the last eight years. We knew coming into the game it was going to be a really tough match," Budinger said.
Reflecting on his Olympic experience, he added, "My Olympic experience was amazing, probably better than I expected."
With Monday's matches concluded, the quarterfinal lineup for both the men's and women's beach volleyball events at the Paris Olympics is now set. The next round will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
