BEIJING -- Reigning world champions Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser will play for the gold medal in beach volleyball after they beat Georgia 21-11, 21-13 in the semifinal Wednesday in one of the quickest matches of the Olympics.
The U.S. pair will play on Friday against Marcio and Fabio, who upset Athens gold medalists and fellow Brazilians Emanuel and Ricardo 22-20, 21-18 on Wednesday to reach the final.
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| Phil Dalhausser (top) and Todd Rogers move on to play the Brazilians for gold. (AP) |
The win by Rogers and Dalhausser gave the United States a chance to sweep the beach volleyball gold medals in Beijing. Americans Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor, the defending Olympic champions, will play China in the women's final on Thursday.
Rogers and Dalhausser's victory just 41 minutes -- and that included a brief argument Rogers made over a call before he decided that, well, it probably didn't matter.
"We definitely let off the gas in the second set," Rogers said. "For me, the foregone conclusion was there."
The pair lost their first point and then scored the next eight, opening up a 12-2 lead before the Georgians awakened. In the second, Rogers seemed to pass up opportunities that might have required more effort than the simple bump-set-spike they knew would be coming soon.
"We have another match," Dalhausser said. "We were up 10 points. There's no reason to waste energy."
Athens gold medalists Emanuel and Ricardo will play for the bronze against Jorge Terceiro and Renato Gomes, native Brazilians playing for Georgia to avoid a quota that limits countries to two entries in the 24-team field.
That women's final is sure to attract a lot of attention on television in the United States and at the venue, where a steady stream of NBA players and other Olympic celebrities have come to see the U.S. pair play.
"All the athletes want to come here. All the fans want to come here," Rogers said. "It's a great atmosphere."
