Cuban beach volleyball pairing Noslen Diaz and Jorge Alayo clinched their first ever Beach Pro Tour gold medal at the 2025 season opener in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Their performance was nothing short of dominant, remaining undefeated over the course of seven matches.
Unbeaten Champions
The Cuban duo capped off their campaign with a commanding straight-sets win (21-13, 24-22) in the final match against Argentina’s Nicolas and Tomas Capogrosso. Notably, they also overcame the reigning world champions Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner of Czechia earlier in the tournament.
Diaz, 22, and Alayo, 23, had built strong résumés with prior Challenge-level podiums, including a bronze at the 2024 Elite stop in Tepic. Their win in Mexico marks a milestone, as it is their first gold at the Elite level.
Other Podium Finishers
- The Capogrosso brothers of Argentina secured their second consecutive silver, following a runner-up finish in Rio in November.
- American duo Chaim Schalk and James Shaw won bronze, marking their first podium together. They defeated Dutch pair Alexander Brouwer and Steven van de Velde with a 2-0 score (21-19, 21-16).
The American team’s journey was particularly impressive, having started in the qualifiers. Their voyage included a key quarterfinal victory over Olympic champions David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig of Sweden.
What’s Next
The Beach Pro Tour continues with the next Elite event scheduled to take place in Saquarema, Brazil, from April 9 to 13.
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