Germany made a strong statement at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite event in Quintana Roo, Mexico, as all four of their men’s teams secured spots in the main draw after Wednesday’s qualifier. This achievement gives Germany half of the eight available qualification spots as the tournament's main phase begins.
German Teams Shine in Qualification
- Sagstetter Brothers: Jonas and Benedikt Sagstetter battled hard to edge out Austria’s Tim Berger and Timo Hammarberg in a closely contested two-set match (22-20, 21-18). They will now compete in Pool A against Olympic contenders and top Brazilian teams.
- Lukas Pfretzchner & Sven Winter: Despite a tough challenge, they secured a straight-set victory over French duo Arnaud Gauthier-Rot and Téo Rotar (21-18, 21-19). They now face reigning world champions from Czechia along with strong teams from Poland and Brazil.
- Paul Henning & Lui Wüst: They had an easier path, defeating Latvia’s Ardis Bedritis and Arturs Rinkevics in dominant fashion (21-12, 21-15).
- Philipp Huster & Maximilian Just: Their qualification was secured without a match, as their Czech opponents forfeited due to injury.
Major Upset in Qualifier
One of the biggest surprises of the qualifiers came when Argentina’s Bautista Amieva and Maciel Bueno stunned American Paris 2024 Olympians Miles Evans and Chase Budinger. The match was a tense three-set battle, ending in Argentina’s favor (21-17, 16-21, 17-15).
Main Draw Competition Format
With all 24 teams confirmed, the main phase consists of a six-pool format:
- Pool winners advance directly to the Round of 12.
- Second- and third-place teams must compete in the Round of 18 to stay in contention.
The main draw is set to begin on Thursday at 9:00 AM local time (14:00 GMT) in Playa del Carmen.
For more details, visit the official Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour page.
