What a week it was for the Brazilians in Fort Lauderdale

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Saymon (left) and Alvaro take the acclaim after their gold medal match win

Brazil stormed to a clean sweep success on Fort Lauderdale Beach Park to start the 2017 beach volleyball season in style.

Two gold and two silver medals speak for themselves: the South American powerhouses were in truly magnificent form during the Fort Lauderdale Major.

The only shock was that it wasn’t Alison Cerutti and Bruno Oscar Schmidt standing on top of the podium with gold in the men’s bracket. That honor went the way of new team on the block Alvaro/Saymon. The pair went all the way from qualification to first place with a string of stunning performances on the sand. Their display against Evandro/Andre in the final will make the rest of the men on the tour stand up and take note.

However, there were familiar faces picking up the coveted gold medal in the women’s tournament as Larissa/Talita began their season with a bang thanks to an emphatic victory over another new partnership, Agatha/Duda.

Larissa/Talita won on this very beach in the Swatch World Tour Finals in 2015 and the performance here partly helped erase the disappointment of missing out on a medal at their home Olympics last summer.

As the crowds flocked to pack the Center Court day and night, the American fans still had plenty to shout about. Local favorites Nick Lucena and Phil Dalhausser clinched a well-deserved bronze medal while Brooke Sweat and Summer Ross came close to winning bronze too – only to lose out to German team Laboureur/Sude, the only European team to medal.

With thousands of fans every creating an unbelievable atmosphere – especially during some truly epic night matches – it was a first tournament of the season to remember.

Every single one of the games from the week are available to watch back on our BeachStream channel, so if you missed a match or want to see one again – check it out!

Thanks for the memories, Fort Lauderdale!