Chilean Olympians Marco and Esteban Grimalt have secured their first semifinal appearance of the 2025 season at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour’s Elite16 event in Newport Beach. This achievement signals a return to form after a challenging start to the year.

Despite enduring a turbulent season with only three top-ten finishes across 12 events—and the complication of losing their coach—the Grimalts battled through adversity. On Friday, they earned back-to-back wins, first defeating American Olympians Miles Evans and Chase Budinger in straight sets. They then pushed past Sweden’s duo, Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson, in a tightly contested three-set quarterfinal.

Next, the Grimalts will face off against Brazil’s Evandro Gonçalves and Arthur Lanci in the first semifinal on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. local time. The second semifinal matchup features an exciting clash between Qatar's Olympic medalists Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan and the American brothers Trevor and Taylor Crabb.

This Elite16 tournament is particularly notable as it's the first held on U.S. soil since 2018. The Crabb brothers, making their return to international play as a pair for the first time in nearly ten years, are the last American men’s team still in medal contention. Their dominant performances in straight sets against experienced teams from Australia and Germany have created anticipation for Saturday’s medal rounds.

The championship match is scheduled for Saturday at 2:00 p.m. local time and is expected to be a high-energy showdown featuring world-class beach volleyball talent.

For full match details and updates, visit the official event page on Volleyball World.