The Fort Lauderdale Major was a dream tournament for the hometown heroes, Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena. Lucena, who learned to play on the host sand of Fort Lauderdale Beach, and Dalhausser, who went to school in nearby Orlando, did not drop a set in six matches en route to the gold medal.
“It is the one tournament I’ve wanted to win,” Lucena said. “It my hometown where I started played. This is everything I’d hoped. We finally won. Phil played great all weekend and I played steady enough to keep us in there. There’s a lot of great teams on this Tour and to win is hard. I’m grateful.”
This was the duo’s third crack at a Major title in their home state, following a runner-up finish in 2015 and bronze medal in 2017. This time, they earned their spot atop the podium with a 21-12, 21-17 win over No. 5 seed Paolo Nicolai/Daniele Lupo of Italy.
For Dalhausser, it was simple – “Third time’s a charm.”
Take a look below at how they claimed gold, their ninth as a pair, in the video and photos below.
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- Phil Dalhausser – Nick Lucena – Fort Lauderdale Major gold medalists
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- Center court – Fort Lauderdale Major
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- Gold Medal match – Fort Lauderdale Major
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- Phil Dalhausser hitting – Gold Medal match – Fort Lauderdale Major
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- Phil Dalhausser blocking – Gold Medal match – Fort Lauderdale Major
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- Nick Lucena digging – Gold Medal match – Fort Lauderdale Major
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- Fort Lauderdale Major – 2018 podium
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- Fort Lauderdale Major podium
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