Samba stars come from no where to clinch gold in Fort Lauderdale

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Saymon (left) and Alvaro clinched gold in their first international tournament together.

Brilliant Brazilians Alvaro/Saymon clinched a remarkable Fort Lauderdale Major gold medal following a stunning victory over Evandro/Andre at a packed and sun-drenched Center Court.

The duo only qualified for the tournament two weeks ago following a trial back in their homeland and they continued their rich vein of form in their first international tournament together by battering their opponents in straight sets.

Alvaro/Saymon won all seven of their matches on Fort Lauderdale sand having come through the qualification phase, and they oozed confidence in the final with 26-year-old Alvaro playing a crucial role.

The defender covered every grain of sand on Center Court and he was ably assisted by Saymon’s huge presence at the net, where he repeatedly got the better of powerhouse Evandro.

It was the 66th time Brazil had supplied both teams in a men’s final of an international event and a trademark block from Saymon was a fitting end to a fantastic display from the pair.

Afterwards Filho paid tribute to his younger partner, who medaled for the first time on the Swatch Major Series since his silver medal in the A1 Major Klagenfurt with former partner Guto.

“They served well but Saymon helped me a lot,” he said. “He helped me with the set which I have made mistakes with in the past and I think that was the difference. We played together as a team and it means a lot. Not just for us but for our team here and back at home in Brazil.”

For Saymon he is relished the new partnership with Alvaro which was only formed late last year.

“It’s great for us that our relationship on court is working because we know there’s still lots to improve on,” he said. “We’ve only been playing together but it shows the hard work is already paying off.”

Before the gold medal match, America had reason to cheer as local favorites Nick Lucena and Phil Dalhausser secured the bronze medal and a place on the podium after beating John Hyden and Ryan Doherty.

If you missed any of the final check out our live text story and live stream service BeachStream for all the action.

Congratulations to all the medalists – what a way to start the 2017 beach season!