Aalsmeer, Netherlands, March 18, 2018 - The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Blooming Beach Aalsmeer event wrapped up on Sunday with a victory for Dutch pair Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen against compatriots Christiaan Varenhorst and Jasper Bouter 2-0 (21-15, 21-19).
Dirk Boehlé and Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands defeated Ben and Sam O'Dea from New Zealand 2-0 (21-17, 21-19) to claim bronze and make it an all-Dutch podium.
Results on Sunday:
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FIVB.com - Beach VolleyballLatest VideosFacebookTwitterInstagramIn a tournament featuring six teams from host country the Netherlands, including top seeds Brouwer and Meeuwsen and second seeds Varenhorst and Bouter, three Dutch teams qualified for the semifinals of the event on Sunday morning.
In the end it was the highest ranked teams in the tournament which qualified for the final featuring 2013 world champions Meeuwsen and Brouwer against Varenhorst - a 2015 World Championship finalist - and Bouter. Gold medallists at last week's 4-star World Tour event in Doha, Qatar, Meeuwsen and Brouwer went into the event in Aalsmeer this week ranked fourth in the world. Also bronze medallists at the 4-star event in The Hague in January, their convincing two-set victory against Varenhorst and Bouter continued their strong run in this year's World Tour.
A remarkable day for Dutch beach volleyball was completed by Boehlé and Van de Velde's victory against the O'Dea brothers in the match for third place.
Earlier in the day, the first semifinal match featured a victory for Varenhorst and Bouter against Ben and Sam O'Dea 2-1 (18-21, 21-15, 15-13) before Brouwer and Meeuwsen got the better of Boehlé and Van de Velde 2-0 (21-17, 21-15).
The Blooming Beach Aalsmeer 1-Star event was the 378th men’s event on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. Held at The Beach indoor facility, it was the second stop in the Dutch city on the 2017-2018 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour after the double gender event in October which saw Italy's Enrico Rossi and Marco Caminati claim gold in the men's tournament and the Netherlands' Joy Stubbe and Madelein Meppelink in the women's.
The next stop on the World Tour is scheduled to take place in Satun, Thailand from April 8 to 11 for a combined men’s and women’s event.
FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour schedule