In-form Krattiger and Dillier defeat world champions

Just three days after securing gold in Warmia Mazury, the Swiss pair got off to an impressive start in their home Gstaad tournament.

Marco Krattiger goes up to challenge Czechia`s David Schweiner at the net

Following their first gold medal win together on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour three days prior, Swiss players Marco Krattiger and Leo Dillier made a strong statement in international beach volleyball on Wednesday. They achieved two victories, successfully moving from the qualification stage into the main elimination rounds at the Gstaad Elite event.

Maintaining the excellent form that brought them victory at the Warmia Mazury Challenge the previous Sunday, Krattiger and Dillier enjoyed a successful opening day in the Swiss Alps. They first advanced through the qualifier and then commenced their main draw matches with a significant upset against the current world champions, Ondřej Perušič and David Schweiner from Czechia.

Formed in 2025, the Swiss duo has already proven their competitiveness on the Beach Pro Tour at the Futures and Challenge tiers, accumulating one gold, two silver, and one bronze medal across seven tournaments.

Gstaad marks Krattiger and Dillier`s debut at an Elite level event. They earned their spot in the main draw by defeating fellow Swiss players Quentin Métral and Michiel Zandbergen in straight sets (21-18, 21-16) during the qualification round.

Later the same day, the Swiss team returned to the court for their main draw debut in Pool E, facing a considerably tougher opponent: world champions Perušič and Schweiner. In a closely contested match, the home favorites emerged victorious with a 2-1 scoreline (21-19, 14-21, 15-12).

Their win against the world champions guarantees them a place in the Round of 18. Krattiger and Dillier are scheduled to play again on Thursday. If they defeat Brazilians Evandro Gonçalves and Arthur Lanci (who beat Frenchmen Téo Rotar and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat 2-1 (21-18, 18-21, 15-13) in their match) in the pool final, they will advance directly to the Round of 12, bypassing the Round of 18.

Heidrich and Jordan also go undefeated

Local fans watching the Gstaad action on Wednesday had double the reason to cheer, as not one, but two Swiss teams had strong starts. Adrian Heidrich, a Tokyo 2020 Olympian, and his partner Jonathan Jordan also progressed from the qualifier without defeat, reaching the elimination rounds.

Coincidentally, both Swiss pairs overcame duos of brothers during Wednesday`s matches. Heidrich and Jordan defeated German brothers Jonas and Benedikt Sagstetter 2-0 (21-19, 21-14) in the qualifier, and then triumphed over Argentinean brothers Nicolas and Tomas Capogrosso in a tie-breaker (16-21, 21-17, 15-12) to start their Pool D challenge positively.

Heidrich and Jordan`s next match on Thursday will be against Dutch Olympians Alexander Brouwer and Steven van de Velde, who beat German Olympic medalists Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler 2-0 (21-19, 21-18). The winner will advance directly to the Round of 12.

In the Pool A final, Norwegian stars Anders Mol and Christian Sørum (who defeated Swedes Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson 2-0 (21-18, 21-16)) will face Australian Olympians Thomas Hodges and Zachery Schubert (who won against Americans Chaim Schalk and James Shaw in a tie-breaker (21-16, 15-21, 20-18)).

Pool B saw Dutch pair Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot secure their elimination round spot with a three-set win (17-21, 21-17, 15-8) over Frenchmen Rémi Bassereau and Calvin Aye. They are joined by reigning European champions Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots of Latvia, who defeated Americans Andy Benesh and Miles Partain in straight sets (22-20, 21-17).

After the first round of matches in Pool C, Qatari Olympic medalists Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan are undefeated, having won 2-1 (21-18, 23-25, 15-11) against Portuguese pair Hugo Campos and João Pedrosa. Also undefeated are Norwegians Hendrik Mol and Mathias Berntsen, who secured a dominant 2-0 victory (21-16, 21-16) over Austrians Christoph Dressler and Philipp Waller.

Pool F also began with two matches going to three sets. Cubans Jorge Alayo and Noslen Diaz edged out Brazilians André Loyola and George Wanderley 2-1 (23-25, 21-18, 16-14), while Dutch duo Matthew Immers and Leon Luini overcame Swiss team Yves Haussener and Julian Friedli in a tie-breaker (15-21, 21-17, 15-11).

In addition to the two Swiss teams, other pairs who successfully navigated the Gstaad qualifier include Portugal’s Pedrosa/Campos, Brazil’s André/George, Sweden’s Hölting Nilsson/Andersson, French teams Bassereau/Aye and Rotar/Gauthier-Rat, and the Netherlands’ Immers/Luini.

The remaining men`s pool play matches are scheduled for Thursday. The Round of 18 and Round of 12 will be played on Friday, followed by the quarterfinals and semifinals on Saturday. The tournament will conclude with the medal matches on Sunday.