Dutch Olympians Alexander Brouwer and Steven van de Velde made a powerful debut at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite event in Quintana Roo, Mexico. In their first tournament together, the new duo advanced directly to the Round of 12 after securing two key victories on opening day.
This fresh partnership follows the retirement of Robert Meeuwsen, Brouwer’s long-time teammate. The Dutch pair began the event strongly by defeating compatriots Matthew Immers and Ruben Penninga in straight sets, 21-17 and 21-15. Their second match proved more challenging, but they displayed resilience, coming from a set down to beat Argentina’s Capogrosso brothers with a score of 2-1 (25-27, 25-15, 15-7), thereby claiming the top spot in Pool B.
As pool leaders, Brouwer and Van de Velde earned a well-deserved rest day on Friday and bypassed the Round of 18, moving straight into the weekend’s knockout rounds.
Highlights from Other Pools
The competition also saw several notable performances:
- Germany's Paul Henning and Lui Wüst caused upsets by winning Pool E against higher-ranked teams.
- American qualifiers Chaim Schalk and James Shaw dominated Pool F with wins over teams from England and Austria.
- Top-seeded duos like Sweden’s Olympic champions David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig, and Czech world champions Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner, progressed as expected.
- Norway’s Hendrik Mol and Mathias Berntsen showed consistency, topping their group with ease.
The final round of pool play and the crucial Round of 18 are scheduled for Friday, setting up an exciting weekend of knockout matches as the competition intensifies.
For more details, visit the official coverage on the Volleyball World website.
