Hamburg, Germany – Elite16 Beach Pro Tour 2025
Paris Olympic silver medalists Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler delighted their home crowd at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite event in Hamburg on Wednesday, battling to a hard-earned victory in their opening match.
Facing Swiss qualifiers Adrian Heidrich and Jonathan Jordan in their first Pool F match at Am Rothenbaum Stadium, the German duo recovered from losing the first set to clinch a challenging 2-1 (19-21, 21-18, 16-14) win.
This crucial victory ensures the Germans` progression to the tournament`s elimination rounds. On Thursday, they will compete for a direct spot in the Round of 12 against Polish Olympians Michal Bryl and Bartosz Łosiak. Bryl and Łosiak also started strong, defeating French pair Rémi Bassereau and Calvin Aye in straight sets (21-15, 21-17) in their pool match.
Ehlers and Wickler, who reside in Hamburg, have played together in their home city three times since forming their partnership, securing a bronze medal in 2022. Last year`s tournament in Hamburg proved bittersweet for the duo; after winning silver in Paris, Ehlers sustained an injury shortly after their first-round victory, forcing an early exit.
Other German teams in the main draw faced mixed fortunes. Paul Henning and Lui Wüst had a tough start, losing to Sweden`s Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson in three sets (21-18, 12-21, 15-8) in their opening Pool D match. In the same pool, Brazilians Evandro Gonçalves and Arthur Lanci fought back to defeat Chilean cousins Marco and Esteban Grimalt 2-1 (16-21, 21-17, 15-13).
Similarly, the Sagstetter brothers, Jonas and Benedikt, were defeated by reigning world champions Ondřej Perušič and David Schweiner of Czechia in straight sets (21-17, 21-18) in Pool E. The other match in this pool saw Cuban Olympians Jorge Alayo and Noslen Díaz overcome Dutch duo Matthew Immers and Ruben Penninga in two sets (24-22, 21-14).
Defending Champions Start with a Sweep
Norwegian superstars Anders Mol and Christian Sørum, aiming to defend their Hamburg title from last year, began their campaign impressively. They swept Austrians Alexander Hörst and Moritz Pristauz 2-0 (21-12, 21-12) in Pool A. French pair Arnaud Gauthier-Rat and Téo Rotar also secured their spot in the elimination rounds by beating Latvians Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots in straight sets (21-13, 21-17).
In Pool B, Dutch Olympians Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot, who defeated Italians Gianluca Dal Corso and Marco Viscovich 2-0 (21-19, 21-14), and the English Bello twins, Javier and Joaquin, who edged out Swiss Marco Krattiger and Leo Dillier in a tie-breaker (21-11, 18-21, 15-12), made strong starts.
Reigning Olympic champions David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig of Sweden, Hamburg gold medalists in 2023, faced a challenge from Austrians Christoph Dressler and Philipp Waller in their Pool C debut but ultimately prevailed 2-1 (21-13, 17-21, 15-7). Argentinean brothers Nicolas and Tomas Capogroosso also started successfully, defeating Brazilians George Wanderley and Saymon Barbosa 2-0 (21-16, 22-20).
Eight Teams Advance from Qualifier
Earlier on Wednesday, the men’s qualifier competition took place in Hamburg. Eight teams from seven different nations successfully advanced, completing the 24-team main draw lineup.
The men`s main draw action continues on Thursday with the remaining 12 pool play matches scheduled for the afternoon and evening. The Round of 18 will be held on Friday, followed by the Round of 12 and the quarterfinals on Saturday. The tournament will conclude on Sunday with the semifinals and medal matches, promising an exciting end to the Elite16 event.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick