Milner Open: Casey Jennings and Kevin Wong Win the Men’s Event
The Milner Open is the men’s last event on the SWATCH FIVB World Tour Calendar. It was organized in the Dutch City of Hague. The tournament lasted for six days from 24-29 August, ending on a completely different note and bringing out some surprising results.
The American 21st seeded Casey Jennings and Kevin Wong authenticated an amazing gold-medal victory on Sunday. The winning pair has left the world in utter awe as they appeared together on the beach volleyball scene for only the second time. The tournament had so many big names in the squad but victory was destined to Jennings and Wong.
They defeated 8th-seeded Benjamin Insfran and Bruno Schmidt of Brazil in the three-set game which extended to a total time of 60 minutes. The final score of 21-18, 18-21, and 17-15 hit the points’ block and concluded the results. The American duo plunged into the first set with perfect jump-serves and deceived their competitors with tricky shots. With the smart ball-handling techniques, Jennings and Wong were able to take an early lead. As the game proceeded, they got more kills and delivered rapid spikes which landed on the targeted points. They successfully maintained their lead and didn’t give Brazilians a chance to overpower them.
The first set was claimed by Jennings and Wong after 21-18 which promptly irritated the rivals Insfran and Schmidt. The Brazilians changed their strategy and hit back strongly. The game took a new turn and Insfran/Schmidt returned back in the game. Their powerful spikes passed through the opponents’ hands and scored points for them. After a hard-knock, Insfran and Schmidt were able to roll-out the game in their favor. The points’ run was same but the positions were traded. Jennings and Wong faced 18-21 defeat in the second set. The leveled score created more thrill. The suspense and un-certainty was raised to an immense stake. People’s mouths spoke different opinions and estimations about final results.
Jennings and Bruno entered the third set with lots of hopes to write a new history while Insfran and Schmidt were also near the victory. Both teams had the urge to get their hands on the final trophy. The important phase of game began with sensible serves and each team avoided the possibility of any foul play. The points shifted with a close difference. Ultimately, the Americans outshined with their finishing block and the third set announced them winners at 17-15.
The sense of jubilation filled the air and 21st-seeded Casey Jennings and Kevin Wong appeared as the champions of SWATCH FIVB Milner Open 2010. The victorious pair shared US$30,000 for the first-place prize. In the previous games, top-seeded Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers of USA had successfully secured nine SWATCH FIVB World Tour Titles and also set a record for international top-spot finishes. Their country mates, Jennings and Wong also marked their presence and brought another title to American custody.
Moreover, Kevin Wong who is going to be 38-year old next month, has become the oldest player to clinch gold medal in 24-year history of beach volleyball. He already had two titles to his name which he earned during 2001 and 2002.
On the other hand, Jennings who is the husband of women beach volleyball star Kerri Walsh brought 39th FIVB gold medal home as his wife collected 38 gold medals with Misty May-Treanor. Wong and Jennings are really enjoying the limelight for their incredible victory.
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