Mallorca, Spain, September 7, 2003 - Brazil's Benjamin Insfran and Marcio Henrique Araujo collected their third gold medal of the season at the World of Tui Open de Mallorca on Sunday when they fought back from a set down to defeat Germany's Markus Dieckmann and Jonas Reckermann in one of the longest and most thrilling finals in the history of the SWATCH-FIVB World Tour.
The Brazilians deprived the Germans of what would have been their first title on the World Tour with a nail-biting 19-21, 21-19, 34-32 victory that had the packed center court on the edge of their seats for one hour, 38 minutes.
Bronze went to Argentina's Mariano Baracetti and Martin Conde, last season's World Tour champions downing Brazilians Harley Marques Silva and Franco Vieira Neto 22-20, 21-13.
It was the second time this year that Benjamin and Araujo have beaten Dieckmann and Reckermann in a final, the Brazilians also winning in three sets to secure June's Swiss Open.
But in terms of thrills and excitement, the Mallorca final stands alone this season. The Brazilians needed 12 match points before winning their sixth title together on the World Tour, while Dieckmann and Reckermann also had eight match points to secure what would have been Germany's first men's victory in Beach.
"That's the longest final I can remember," said an exhausted Araujo. "They played very well in the first set, their service was so strong. In the second we decided to start again, and build it step by step. Both teams played great."
The Brazilians were also forced to fight back from a set down in their semifinal victory over Harley and Franco, and Araujo was happy to admit that this week's demands, on the back of their Brazilian tour victory in Vitoria last weekend, had taken its toll.
Both teams were clearly shattered after the marathon contest and Araujo needed 10 minutes to re-hydrate before talking to the media.
"We're both so tired," added Araujo. "Travelling from Brazil we did not have much time to rest or practise. But it's worth it because this win is very important for us making the Olympics next year."
The Germans' disappointment was clear to see, though they can take great pride from having pushed arguably the best team in the world to the very limit.
"That was certainly the longest final set I've played," said Dieckmann, whose silver medal will also have done his Olympic chances a world of good. "I stopped thinking after the first couple of match points. Right now it's no consolation being involved in such a great final, but when I look back tomorrow I think I'll be very pleased.
"We didn't give much away, they had to fight very hard to beat us and they've been the world's best teams for the past couple of years."
The SWATCH-FIVB World Tour resumes at the Los Angeles Grand Slam starting on September 17th. |
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