Swedish rising stars Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson have made a perfect start to their debut at the CEV EuroBeachVolley in Düsseldorf, securing their spot in the men`s Round of 16 as one of the eight undefeated teams on Thursday.
The reigning U22 European champions, Hölting Nilsson and Andersson, showcased their dominance at the Rochus Club, concluding their pool play undefeated. This stellar performance earned them a direct berth into the tournament`s Round of 16, joining seven other pool winners. The competition intensifies on Friday with the Round of 16, followed by quarterfinals on Saturday, and culminating in the semifinals and medal matches on Sunday.
EuroBeachVolley Men`s Tournament
The young Swedish pair, Hölting Nilsson (20) and Andersson (19), earned their Round of 16 spot through hard-fought victories. Both of their initial EuroBeachVolley matches extended to three sets. After defeating Germans Sven Winter and Lukas Pfretzschner on Wednesday, they secured first place in Pool G by overcoming Israelis Eylon Elazar and Kevin Cuzmiciov with a 2-1 (23-21, 22-24, 15-12) win on Thursday. Having already secured a top-20 finish, the Swedes now prepare for their first elimination challenge, aiming for a top-10 placement. Their Round of 16 opponent will be Paris Olympic silver medalists Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler from Germany, who advanced by beating Austrians Christoph Dressler and Philipp Waller in straight sets (21-17, 21-17) in the Round of 24.
Olympic Champions Lead Their Pools
Fellow Swedes David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig, who are both reigning Olympic champions and two-time EuroBeachVolley winners, also topped their pool. They secured first place in Pool B with a commanding 2-0 (21-14, 21-14) victory over Dutch Olympians Alexander Brouwer and Steven van de Velde. Åhman and Hellvig will now face another Dutch pair, Matthew Immers and Ruben Penninga, who advanced from the Round of 24 by defeating Czechs Jiri Sedlak and Jakub Sepka 2-0 (21-19, 21-18).
Czech world champions Ondřej Perušič and David Schweiner also maintained an undefeated record, leading Pool E after a decisive 2-0 (21-13, 21-16) win against Dressler and Waller. They are set to compete against Elazar and Cuzmiciov, who secured their spot by beating Italians Gianluca Dal Corso and Marco Viscovich 2-0 (21-19, 21-17) in the Round of 24. Norwegian titans Anders Mol and Christian Sørum, four-time EuroBeachVolley champions, cruised into the Round of 16. Their 2-0 (21-17, 21-10) victory over Germany`s Sagstetter brothers, Jonas and Benedikt, placed them atop Pool A. The formidable `Beach Volley Vikings` will now challenge the defending champions, Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots of Latvia, who narrowly defeated fellow Latvians Hendrik Mol and Mathias Berntsen in a thrilling tie-breaker (20-22, 21-19, 15-9) during the Round of 24.
In Pool C, French duo Téo Rotar and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat caused an upset, defeating Plavins and Fokerots in three sets (21-19, 20-22, 15-10) to claim first place. Their Round of 16 opponents will be the Sagstetter brothers, who advanced by eliminating another French pair, 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 Round of 16 spot, sweeping English brothers Javier and Joaquin Bello 2-0 (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 defeated 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 winners of Pool D, having bested Immers and Penninga in straight sets (21-16, 21-16). They are set to face Brouwer and van de Velde in the Round of 16, who secured their progression by narrowly defeating Portuguese duo João Pedrosa and Hugo Campos in a tie-breaker (17-21, 21-15, 19-17) in the Round of 24. The final duo to top their pool in Düsseldorf are young Austrians Tim Berger and Timo Hammarberg, who secured a challenging 2-0 (28-26, 21-19) victory over Henning and Wüst in Pool H. Their next challenge will be against the Bello twins, who advanced after a three-set triumph (21-17, 18-21, 15-12) over Swiss Marco Krattiger and Leo Dillier.
