In their inaugural CEV EuroBeachVolley appearance, young Swedish pair Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson have continued their impressive run, concluding Thursday`s play as one of eight teams to directly advance to the men`s Round of 16 in Düsseldorf.
The U22 European champions, Hölting Nilsson and Andersson, showcased their dominance at the Rochus Club, finishing their pool play undefeated. This earned them a direct spot in the Round of 16, joining the other seven pool winners.
The tournament`s schedule in Germany includes the Round of 16 matches on Friday, followed by the quarterfinals on Saturday, and the semifinals and medal matches concluding the event on Sunday.
2025 CEV EuroBeachVolley – Men
Despite their direct advancement, the 20-year-old Hölting Nilsson and 19-year-old Andersson faced tough challenges, winning their first two EuroBeachVolley career matches in three sets. After defeating Germany`s Sven Winter and Lukas Pfretzschner on Wednesday, the Swedish duo secured first place in Pool G on Thursday with a 2-1 (23-21, 22-24, 15-12) victory over Israelis Eylon Elazar and Kevin Cuzmiciov.
Guaranteed a top-20 finish, the Swedes now aim to break into the top-10 in their first elimination match, facing Paris Olympic silver medalists Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler. The Germans advanced to this stage by defeating Austrians Christoph Dressler and Philipp Waller in straight sets (21-17, 21-17) in the Round of 24.
Olympic Champions Win Pool B
Fellow Swedes, the reigning Olympic and two-time EuroBeachVolley champions David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig, also secured a top spot, winning Pool B by sweeping Dutch Olympians Alexander Brouwer and Steven van de Velde (21-14, 21-14). They are now set to play against another Dutch pair, Matthew Immers and Ruben Penninga, who advanced by defeating Czechs Jiri Sedlak and Jakub Sepka in straight sets (21-19, 21-18) in the Round of 24.
Czechia`s World champions Ondřej Perušič and David Schweiner also maintained an undefeated record, topping Pool E after a dominant 2-0 (21-13, 21-16) win over Dressler and Waller. Their next opponents will be Elazar and Cuzmiciov, who secured their spot by sweeping Italians Gianluca Dal Corso and Marco Viscovich (21-19, 21-17) in the Round of 24.
Norway`s four-time EuroBeachVolley champions Anders Mol and Christian Sørum also enjoyed a smooth path, claiming Pool A with a two-set (21-17, 21-10) victory over Germany`s Sagstetter brothers, Jonas and Benedikt. The `Beach Volley Vikings` are now set to challenge defending champions Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots of Latvia, who narrowly defeated fellow Latvians Hendrik Mol and Mathias Berntsen in a tie-breaker (20-22, 21-19, 15-9) during the Round of 24.
French duo Téo Rotar and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat caused an upset, winning Pool C by defeating Plavins and Fokerots in three sets (21-19, 20-22, 15-10). Their Round of 16 match will be against the Sagstetter brothers, who previously eliminated another French team, Rémi Bassereau and Calvin Aye, in straight sets (21-14, 26-24) in the Round of 24.
Dutch pair Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot also secured their spot in the Round of 16, sweeping England`s Bello twins, Javier and Joaquin (21-15, 21-14), to win Pool F. The Paris Olympians will continue their campaign in Düsseldorf against local favorites Paul Henning and Lui Wüst, who surprisingly eliminated Polish Olympians Michal Bryl and Bartosz Łosiak in a thrilling tie-breaker (21-17, 15-21, 15-9) in the Round of 24.
Swiss pair Adrian Heidrich and Jonathan Jordan emerged as undefeated Pool D winners, defeating Immers and Penninga in straight sets (21-16, 21-16). In the Round of 16, they will face Brouwer and van de Velde, who advanced past Portuguese duo João Pedrosa and Hugo Campos in a tight tie-breaker (17-21, 21-15, 19-17) in the Round of 24.
Rounding out the pool winners in Düsseldorf are young Austrians Tim Berger and Timo Hammarberg, who secured Pool H with a two-set (28-26, 21-19) victory over Henning and Wüst. Their next match will be against the Bello twins, who overcame Swiss Marco Krattiger and Leo Dillier in a three-set contest (21-17, 18-21, 15-12).
