Lausanne, Switzerland, May 7, 2017 – The Brazilian pair of Alvaro Filho and Saymon won the top prize at the Finals of the South American Men's Beach Volleyball Tour after beating Chilean cousins Marco and Esteban Grimalt 2-0 (21-17, 21-18) at Maringa, Brazil, on Sunday.
Argentina’s Julian Azaad and Nicolas Capogrosso took bronze after beating Uruguay’s Marco Cairus and Mauricio Vieyto 2-0 (21-11, 21-12).
The Brazilians had to battle through three sets in the semifinals to defeat Argentina but saved the best for last to overcome Marco and Esteban Grimalt, who had not lost a set throughout the tournament.
In the first set, things were even until 13-13 when the Chileans lost their way, particularly on the side-out. Saymon was decisive at the net with some important blocks and Alvaro responded every time it was required.
In the second set, Brazil continued to put pressure on Esteban Grimalt but the Chileans stayed in contention until after the technical timeout when a five-point gap emerged that was too much to close.
“It was the best game we played in the tournament and that's why we were able to take the title,” Alvaro said.
Saymon was very happy and celebrated with the Brazilian fans. “We were superior throughout the match,” he said. “They are an experienced team and play on the World Tour as well, so it was not easy to win.”
For their part, the Chileans felt frustrated with their fourth runnerup finish of the season. "I think we did not play our best match,” said Marco Grimalt. “They did well to take advantage of the situations in the game. We congratulate the champions, and look forward to a rematch soon.”
In the bronze-medal match, the Argentines dominated, especially with Capogrosso’s blocking and Azaad’s defence. The Uruguayans weren’t able to get into the match.
You can find all the results here.
Brazil, Chile, Argentina and Venezuela have qualified for the FIVB World Championship in Vienna, Austria, which will be played between July 28 and August 6, 2017.