Beach volleyball: 'Mammoth' helps power Brazil into final
By Brad Haynes
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The top-seeded Brazilian duo of Bruno Schmidt and Alison Cerutti battled into the men's beach volleyball final at the Rio Games on Tuesday with a win over a Dutch team that were undaunted by a raucous home crowd.
After whipping the home fans into a frenzy with a dominant opening set the reigning world champions squandered a two-point lead late in the next frame but held on for a 21-17 21-23 16-14 win over Netherlands pair Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen.
"The Netherlands played so well. You could see their poise at the end of that set that almost ended the match," said the bearded Cerutti, nicknamed "Mammoth" for the way he uses his 2.03 metre frame at the net to reject balls.
After stealing the second set, Brouwer and Meeuwsen went on a three-point run in the third to take the lead before Cerutti gave the crowd something to cheer about as he imposed his broad frame at the net to clinch the match.
"I call to the crowd because I see the fear it puts in the other side. It's really a cauldron in there," said Cerutti, who took silver at the London Games. "This is one of the best beach volleyball arenas the earth has seen."
(Editing by Frank Pingue)