Volleyball: Italy continue on the road to gold. GETTY IMAGES

Italy reaffirmed their status as gold medal contenders with a convincing 3-0 win over Turkey at the Paris Arena South 1 to go through to the quarter-finals unbeaten. France went out of the tournament without a win or a set after losing 3-0 to the United States.

The final day of women's volleyball began with the world's number one team clearly outclassing Turkey. Led by the legendary and veteran Argentine coach Julio Velasco, Italy gave a solid performance from start to finish, causing some instability in the Turkish team.

The 2024 Volleyball Nations League champions were dominant from start to finish, running out 3-0 winners (25-14, 25-16, 25-21) to remain unbeaten in the tournament. Italian star Paola Egonu was the top scorer of the morning in Paris with 20 points (18 spikes, one block, one ace).

Italian captain Anna Danesi did not shy away from the label of gold medal favourites: "We are playing at a high level and feeling good, so I hope our opponents are a bit afraid of us.

Turkey's Eda Erdem Dundar jumps to block the ball from Italy's Sarah Luisa Fahr at the South Paris Arena 1 in París 2024. GETTY IMAGES
Turkey's Eda Erdem Dundar jumps to block the ball from Italy's Sarah Luisa Fahr at the South Paris Arena 1 in París 2024. GETTY IMAGES

The United States defeated France 3-0 (29-27, 29-27, 25-20) to finish second on 6 points, leapfrogging Serbia for a potentially easier quarter-final berth.

After the main matches between the number one team in the world (Italy) and the home team (only as hosts, as their performance in the tournament was very poor), the day continued with a match between China and Serbia.

Despite a 39-point performance from Tijana Boškovi, the Asian team overcame defending champions and current world champions Serbia. With this 3-1 (21-25, 25-20, 25-22, 29-27) victory,China finished as one of the top three ranked national teams in the event and remained unbeaten.

The final match of the day was a clash of the unbeaten between Brazil and Poland to decide the top of Group B. The South American team's determination triumphed over the European team, with Brazil winning in straight sets. The 3-0 win saw the green and yellow finish top of the group and, in theory, secure an easier opponent in the quarter-finals.

In the men's competition, the quarter-finals will see a flawless Italy, fresh from their win over Poland, as the favourites for the gold medal. They will take on Japan at 13:00 CEST for a place in the semi-finals.

At 17:00 CEST, the host nation will look to book their place in the semi-finals against the formidable Germany in a match that will be watched closely across France.

The rest of the matches kick off on Monday with Slovenia taking on Poland at 9:00 CEST, followed by the highlight match between the USA and Brazil. The clash between the Pan-American teams will take place at the Paris South Arena at 21:00 CEST.