Gutsy Grimalts pull out all the stops in Holland
Marco and Esteban Grimalt had to show all their fighting qualities to advance to the knockout stages of the Grand Slam beach volleyball tournament at The Hague in Holland.
The Grimalt cousins were up against it after losing their opening Group E match against the fifth-seeded Spanish duo Pablo Herrera-Adrián Gavira 2-0 (21-13, 21-17) yesterday.
It meant they faced two crucial matches today to reach the knockout rounds – and they came through the hard way.
First up, the Chilean number ones faced some old adversaries in the form of Brazilian pair Vitor Felipe and Evandro, ranked 12th. In an extremely tight encounter, the Grimalts boosted their chances with a 2-1 victory (21-19, 14-21, 15-12) in 49 minutes.
Then the Grimalts, the 28th seeds, faced the Austria duo Alexander Huber and Robin Seidl, ranked 21st, in another vital clash.
The Chileans were up against it when they lost the first set 21-16, but they kept their nerve in a nail-biting second set to clinch it 23-21. They then sealed a 2-1 victory by taking the final set 15-10.
The victory meant they finished second in Group E behind the Spaniards Herrera and Gavira and are among the top 24 teams that will compete in the knockout stages. Huber and Seidl also qualified from Pool E after taking third place.
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