The world’s top beach volleyball players jetted to Austria for the annual Beach Volleyball Grand Slam at Klagenfurt.
Olympic gold medallists and world champions Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser proved why they are the dominant force in international beach volleyball as they clinched the title, seeing off last year’s winners, Russia’s Dmitri Barsouk and Igor Kolodinsky, on their way to the final.
'This was by far the best tournament of the year' - Todd Rogers
But there was disappointment for the local favourites Matthias Mellitzer and Clemens Doppler who tumbled out in the opening round without a win. Mellitzer, Doppler’s new team-mate for this season, said: "We’re disappointed, because we had bigger plans for Klagenfurt. The group we were in was really tough. But it's great to play here and I promise we will be back next year."
The final had all the ingredients for a perfect game as Rogers/Dalhauser took on Brazilians Harley Marques and Alison Cerutti.
Rogers/Dalhausser took the first set comfortably Harley-Alison dug deep and took the second set 21:12. But the US proved too strong for them in the decisive third set, winning 21:15.
"This was by far the best tournament of the year,” said Rogers. “The treatment, the setting, the atmosphere was perfect.
“Alison is probably the best blocker on the whole tour. In the end there was only a few points in it."
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