Krattiger and Dillier lift the trophies at the podium.
Swiss beach volleyball players Marco Krattiger and Leo Dillier, competing as a new team in the 2025 Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, reached a new milestone on Sunday. They secured their first title together at the Warmia Mazury Challenge in a spectacular final. The Swiss pair upset the home crowd by defeating Poland`s Michal Bryl and Bartosz Łosiak, preventing a home victory at Anders Hotel Beach. The bronze medal went to the German team of Paul Henning and Lui Wüst.
Energized by a semifinal forfeit win against Olympic champions David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig, Krattiger (30) and Dillier (24) faced Bryl and Łosiak in the final. They won the thrilling match 2-1 (25-23, 16-21, 16-14). The most dramatic moment came in the deciding set, where the Swiss pair mounted an unbelievable comeback, overcoming a 13-6 disadvantage to score 10 of the last 11 points and clinch the victory.
Reflecting on the match, Krattiger, who contributed significantly with two aces and two blocks during the comeback, said: “I honestly don’t think I can explain what just happened. We played well in the first set, but my passing faltered in the second as they served incredibly tough. I felt we had a chance in the third set, but falling behind again made me think it was over. Yet, we kept fighting, and somehow, the opportunity arose, and we seized it.”
Dillier described the feeling as “unbelievable.” He added, “The stadium was packed, and the crowd was cheering against us, but I find that motivating. When we were trailing 10-6, I remember telling Marco, ‘Please, do something amazing.’ And he delivered.”
For Bryl and Łosiak, the silver medal in Warmia Mazury was their first podium finish of the 2025 season. The Polish Olympians had previously finished fourth in two out of their five tournaments this year.
The bronze medal match did not take place as Åhman and Hellvig were unable to compete, resulting in a forfeit victory for Henning and Wüst. This secured the first medal of 2025 for the German pair.
The 2025 Beach Pro Tour continues with the next Challenge event scheduled for Brazil from September 3-9. Before that, an Elite tournament is set to be held next week in Gstaad, Switzerland.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick