Cuba remains undefeated in beach volleyball tournament in Hamburg

Hamburg, August 29 - Cuban athletes Noslen Díaz and Jorge Luis Alayo defeated the world champions from the Czech Republic, Ondrej Perusic and David Schwiner, to finish undefeated in Group E of the 2025 World Beach Volleyball Pro Tour, currently taking place in Germany.

The Cuban duo won 2-0 (21-19, 27-25) in a closely contested match, reminiscent of their previous four encounters since they first faced each other in 2023 in Apizaco, Mexico.

Alayo was the top scorer with 27 points (24 attacks, 2 blocks, 2 aces), while his partner contributed 13 points from spikes. Schweiner was the most productive player for the opponents with 24 points (20-4-0), and Perusic added 12 points (9-0-3).

Díaz Amaro and Alayo Moliner, having partnered for less than two years, had previously triumphed over the Europeans with a score of 2-1 (21-17, 15-21, 15-9) in 2023, perhaps unaware that their opponents would soon become world champions.

In 2024, they split honors with a victory in Tepic, Mexico (2-0, 21-19, 21-18) and a loss in Stare Jablonki, Poland, in three sets (17-21, 21-17, 11-15).

This year, their fourth match took place again in Mexico, where the Cubans eliminated the Czechs in the quarterfinals with a score of 2-1 (16-21, 21-14, 15-11) at their peak moment, fulfilling their dream of winning the gold medal during the Elite 16 event in Quintana Roo.

With this fourth victory over Perusic and Schwiner, the students of Francisco Álvarez Cutiño remain undefeated and are on track to secure more podium finishes in the same Pro Tour season, similar to their successes in 2024, during which they earned three silver medals and one bronze.

After six stages this summer in the 2025 Russian League, the Cuban pair re-entered this important tournament, starting on Wednesday with a victory over Ruben Penninga and Matthew Immers, sweeping them 2-0 (24-22, 21-14).

With two victories under their belt, the Cubans will not compete this Friday, a day reserved only for the 18-round challenges. They will return on Saturday for the round of 12 and the quarterfinals, while Sunday will feature the semifinals and the matches for the bronze and gold medals, in that order. (Text and Photo: Cubadebate)