The best of social media from six days in the Fort Lauderdale sun

• Facebook
• Twitter

Packed crowds watched the Fort Lauderdale Major - and we loved every minute of it!

What a start to the season it was! The Fort Lauderdale Major was dominated by Brazil as the South Americans took four of the six medals on offer, including both the gold and silver in the men’s and women’s tournaments.

The Fort Lauderdale Major was also the talk of social media with athletes and celebrities joining in the fun in the sun and using our official hashtag of the event, #FTLMajor.

Among those that had enjoyed their Fort Lauderdale Major experience were two members of comedy act the Janoskians. One of them, Beau Brooks, was tweeting his courtside view of the action – and on one occasion he joined in with the Swatch Majors Beach Dancers.

Beau Brooks 🇦🇺 on Twitter

😍😍😍 @SwatchMajors #FTLMajor https://t.co/zg8wb8cKxd

Another famous face who had a ball on the Florida sand with us – and the Beach Majors Dancers – was former World Champion boxer David Haye. The former heavyweight champ was live in the commentary box alongside Canadian Martin Reader on the SPORTbible’s Facebook page. The Hayemaker then spent time training with the dancers on the beach…

Working on speed, agility, quickness, with a few new recruits to #TeamHaye Loving #BeachVolleyBall 👌🏾😎

3,216 Likes, 46 Comments - David Haye (@mrdavidhaye) on Instagram: "Working on speed, agility, quickness, with a few new recruits to #TeamHaye Loving #BeachVolleyBall..."

One man who was pumped to meet Haye was Italian Olympic star Alex Ranghieri. He asked his fanbase who would win a fight out of the two…

🥊🏐Ranghieri vs @mrdavidhaye who's gonna win? @swatchmajorseries @swatch @xs_power_drink

2,568 Likes, 12 Comments - Alex Ranghieri (@alexranghieri) on Instagram: "🥊🏐Ranghieri vs @mrdavidhaye who's gonna win? @swatchmajorseries @swatch @xs_power_drink"

On the court itself, the beach volleyball action was fast and frenetic as a packed Center Court was drenched in glorious sunshine by day and floodlights by night.

However, for some players – for different reasons – they could not make it to Florida. The best way to keep up-to-date with all the digging and diving was via our new BeachStream channel. Not only was every game streamed live you can also watch them all back now.

Olympic champion Laura Ludwig, continuing her rehabilitation from a shoulder operation, was watching Kira Walkenhorst and Julia Groβner – while Jantine van der Vlist was finding it tough streaming the action following her retirement. “It’s taking some time getting you to,” she said.

LauraLudwig on Twitter

Let's go @LauraundKira and Jule💪💪💪

Jantine vd Vlist on Twitter

Even wennen! Maar best ontspannen kijken zo naar ex-maatje @sophievangestel die acejes staat te serveren @SwatchMajors 💪

Back on the sand and to those involved, there was plenty of smiles. There was no medal for home favorites Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross, but there was still plenty of joy for Kerri as she paid tribute to the fans who created an amazing atmosphere under the floodlights.

Kerri Walsh Jennings on Twitter

It's ALWAYS an honor to take center court. @SwatchMajors unbelievable job creating such a magical atmosphere ✨ Fans at #FTLMajor U R AWESOME https://t.co/enhIRrm1sK

But it wasn’t all lost for the Americans. In the men’s bracket, Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena took bronze. “It’s better than nothing,” Phil said on his Instagram page.

Well we finished the tournament with a win, ended up with the bronze. Not color of medal we were looking for but I guess it's better than nothing. #ftlmajor @rapidforcephs @66audio @redbull @roxvolleyball

1,473 Likes, 14 Comments - Phil Dalhausser (@phildalhausser) on Instagram: "Well we finished the tournament with a win, ended up with the bronze. Not color of medal we were..."

For the Brazilians it was a tournament to remember. The South Americans took four of the six medals on offer, with Larissa/Talita and Alvaro/Saymon coming out on top to win gold. And both teams thanked their support teams for their success.

CAMPEÕES! Muito obrigado pela torcida de todos. Agradecer também a toda comissão técnica. Ganhamos o Major Series de Fort Lauderdale, nos Estados Unidos - a primeira etapa da temporada do Circuito Mundial. Vitória por 2 sets a 0, parciais de 21/15 e 21/17. Vamos pra próxima!!! #circuitomundial #voleidepraia #ctcangaço #silracks

218 Likes, 23 Comments - Álvaro Filho e Saymon (@alvarofilho_saymon) on Instagram: "CAMPEÕES! Muito obrigado pela torcida de todos. Agradecer também a toda comissão técnica. Ganhamos..."

Confiram um pouquinho da nossa premiação em Fort Lauderdale no @swatchmajorseries !🏆🔝🥇🍾 Gold metal in Fort Lauderdale #LarissaTalita 🇧🇷🥇and 60th 🥇Larissa 🏆🔝👏 👊👊Larissa added to her all-time women's victory record with her 60th crown and it was the 100th medal she's earned in her internacional career (World Tour). ---------------------------------- #underarmour #vult #radix #exercitobrasileiro #champions #buffetliboom #60goldmetalstoLarissa 🇧🇷🥇 @underarmourbrasil @underarmour @vultcosmetica.oficial @radixeng @laliboombuffet @cbv @fivbvolleyball

836 Likes, 20 Comments - LarissaeTalitaOficial (@larissaetalitaoficial) on Instagram: "Confiram um pouquinho da nossa premiação em Fort Lauderdale no @swatchmajorseries !🏆🔝🥇🍾 Gold metal..."

And last but by no means least, we’ll save the best ‘til last.

We say the best because here’s our favorite top rally from the tournament, which came from a sensational all-Brazilian women’s final between Larissa/Talita and Agatha/Duda.

Enjoy!

An all-Brazilian battle - feel the... - Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series | Facebook

An all-Brazilian battle - feel the temperature rising in this rally! #FTLMajor