Grimalt cousins beat Dalhausser/ Lucena at 4-star Doha final
Marco and Esteban Grimalt are the team to beat right now. In the FIVB 4-star Doha final the Chilean cousins and 3-star Sydney winners claimed the first 4-star gold of their careers against US legends Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena.
The final was a clear two-set win (21:15, 21:15) for the Chileans who showed a great performance against Dalhausser/Lucena. They took advantage of a Phil Dalhausser not playing at the top of his game during the entire match. Several missed serves and hits as well as trials to go over on two gave the Chileans some quick and easy points.
Marco and Esteban Grimalt had played a tough semifinal against Grzegorz Fijalek and Michal Bryl (Poland) which they won in three sets (18:21, 21:14, 15:12). In the quarterfinals the Chileans had beaten Italian top team Nicolai/Lupo in another three-setter. It is the first 4-star win in the Grimalts’ career. Last week they surprised at the FIVB 3-star in Sydney where they also won the gold medal. Esteban Grimalt:
“The last two weeks were great. We are so proud. Our first match on the World Tour eight years ago was against Phil Dalhausser. It’s incredible. It is a 4-star with the best teams in the world. Nick and Phil are a wonderful team. They were idols for us when we started playing beach volleyball.”
Nevertheless, the US oldies (both 39) played a good tournament. After beating Polish top team Piotr Kantor and Bartosz Losiak in the quarterfinals, they posted a semifinal win against Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira (Spain). Today’s gold medal match was their first final since last year’s Fort Lauderdale Major win. Dalhausser/Lucena had not played on the World Tour since the Vienna Major last August.
The bronze medal went to Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira from Spain who defated Grzegorz Fijalek and Michal Bryl (21:17, 22:20).
The medal matches can be watched again at the FIVB Youtube channel.
