LONDON (AP) -- When Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings lost a set in the Olympics for the first time, it seemed like they might provide an opening for their next opponent.
"That's what we were hoping, anyway," Marleen van Iersel of the Netherlands said Saturday night after being eliminated by the two-time gold medalists in 30 minutes. "That worked against us, I'm afraid. They were eager not to lose another set, so they played very well,"
One match after the two-time gold medalists watched their 32-set winning streak end - and one day after the top U.S. men, defending Olympic champions Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser, were knocked out - May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings were barely challenged by the defending European champions.
Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates stopped by Horse Guards Parade to watch the Americans eliminate the Netherlands before the bells in Big Ben's clock tower could toll the half-hour.
"That is the Kerri and Misty people come to see," May-Treanor said after advancing to the Olympic quarterfinals with a 21-13, 21-12 victory over van Iersel and Sanne Keizer. "That's what we want to play like. We just keep elevating each time out."
That's a frightening prospect for the rest of the women's draw at the London Games.
After the match, Gates and his wife, Melinda, waited patiently for the Americans to finish talking to reporters before having a chance to chat. The tech mogul said he had also watched beach volleyball in Sydney and Beijing.
Asked what he thought of the Americans' victory, he said, "It was fantastic."
Walsh Jennings and May-Treanor won gold medals in Athens and Beijing without losing a set. That streak was snapped on Wednesday in the final of the round-robin.
"I want us to be perfect, but we're human," Walsh Jennings said. "That's what makes us us. We've been in every single situation."
The match started when nearby Big Ben tolled 9 o'clock. And it was over before the bells could peal the half-hour.
In all, the two-time defending champions have won 18 consecutive Olympic matches.
"We have three matches to go," Walsh Jennings said.
Also Saturday, Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal beat Russia in straight sets to keep alive the U.S. hopes of a second consecutive men's gold. The American men, who finished fifth in Beijing, beat Sergey Prokopiev and Konstantin Semenov 21-14, 22-20.
On Friday, defending Olympic champions Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser were eliminated in the round of 16 by Italy.
"It hit me, for sure," Walsh Jennings said. "I feel for those guys. It got me thinking and it made me reaffirm that I don't want anything to do with that."
Rosenthal said he took the loss personally, but it didn't change his outlook on the Olympics.
"We came into this tournament wanting to win for ourselves," he said. "We want Rogers and Dalhausser to still be in it, but it doesn't change the pressure we put on ourselves."
Earlier Saturday, reigning world champions Emanuel and Alison beat Germany to advance to the quarterfinals. The top-seeded Brazilians beat Jonathan Erdmann and Kay Matysik 21-16, 21-14.
Beijing bronze medalists Xue Chen and Zhang Xi of China beat Russians Ekaterina Khomyakova and Evgeniya Ukolova 21-12, 21-11.
In other men's matches Saturday, Reinder Nummerdor and Rich Schuil of the Netherlands beat Patrick Heuscher and Jefferson Bellaguarda of Switzerland 22-20, 21-15. Germany's Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann beat Aleksandrs Samoilovs and Ruslans Sorokins of Latvia, 21-12, 21-17.
Defending bronze medalists Xue Chen and Zhang Xi of China beat Russians Ekaterina Khomyakova and Evgeniya Ukolova 21-12, 21-11. Marta Menegatti and Greta Cicolari of Italy defeated Liliana Fernandez Steiner and Elsa Baquerizo McMillan of Spain 21-15, 21-15, and Czech team Marketa Slukova and Kristyna Kolocova beat the No. 2 Brazilian team of Maria Antonelli and Talita Rocha 21-16, 20-22, 15-9.