Cerutti and Schmidt, who are also the reigning world champions, were on the end of a surprise loss at the hands of American pair Theo Brunner and Casey Patterson yesterday and appeared to be heading for the exit when the Chilean team won the first set.

The Brazilians rallied, however, and clinched the next two to wrap up a 19-21, 21-15, 18-16 success.

They will go on to face Poland’s Piotr Kantor and Bartosz Losiak, who won all three of their group stage matches, in the last 16 tomorrow.

Cerutti and Schmidt had earlier beaten Markus Bockermann and Lars Fluggen of Germany 21-15, 21-19 to seal a spot in the play-off round.

American duo Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena of the United States picked up their third straight victory to earn one of eight automatic berths in the last 16 as they overcame Oleg Stoyanovskiy and Artem Yarzutkin of Russia 21-19, 21-15.

Their opponents in the next round will be Bockermann and Fluggen.

Italian stars and Rio silver medallists Daniele Lupo and Paolo Nicolai are also still in the competition as they breezed through the group stage with a 100 per cent record.

Lupo and Nicolai will go up against Canada’s Grant O’Gorman and Michael Plantinga, who beat Brazilian Pedro Solberg and Guto Carvalhaes 21-14, 21-19.

In the women’s event, Olympic bronze medallists Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross reached the next phase of the tournament by winning all three of their group games.

The Americans swept aside Finland’s Anniina Parkkinen and Taru Lahti-Liukkonen 21-19, 21-17, before they battled to a 17-21, 21-18, 15-8 triumph over Brazil’s Barbara Seixas De Freitas and Fernanda Alves.

The tournament in Fort Lauderdale continues tomorrow.