The Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite16 in Joao Pessoa, Brazil is heating up with a highly anticipated Scandinavian clash in the men's round of 12. Norway’s top-ranked duo, Anders Mol and Christian Sorum, will face Sweden’s up-and-coming team of Jacob Holting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson in a pivotal matchup.
Mol and Sorum, despite a surprising loss during pool play, showed resilience as they beat Germany’s Lukas Pfretzschner and Sven Winter in straight sets (23-21, 21-17). The experienced Norwegian pair, also Olympic bronze medallists, are determined to reassert their dominance. Meanwhile, the young Swedish team, ranked fourth in the world, is looking to make a strong statement on the global stage.
Major Upsets Shake Up the Bracket
The tournament has already seen unexpected results:
- Argentina’s Nicolas and Tomas Capogrosso — ranked third in the world — were eliminated by French qualifiers Remi Bassereau and Calvin Aye (21-17, 21-17).
- The French duo now face the Netherlands' second seeds, Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot.
- Another French team, Teo Rotar and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat, upset American Olympians Miles Evans and Chase Budinger.
Rotar and Gauthier-Rat will continue their campaign against Dutch eighth seeds Steven van de Velde and Alexander Brouwer.
Host Nation Brazil Still in the Hunt
Brazil fans can still cheer for their home teams, with two pairs advancing to the round of 12:
- George Wanderley and Saymon Barbosa facing fellow Brazilians Vinicius Freitas and Heitor Barbosa in a domestic duel.
- Evandro Oliveira and Arthur Mariano Lanci will play Portugal’s Joao Pedrosa and Hugo Campos — the same Portuguese pair that stunned Mol and Sorum in the group stage.
Olympic Champions on a Mission
Swedish duo David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig, reigning Olympic champions, bounced back into form with a dominant win over Brazil’s Andre Stein and Renato Lima. They will now encounter Austria’s undefeated qualifiers, Timo Hammarberg and Tim Berger.
Saturday Showdowns Await
With both the round of 12 and the quarterfinals scheduled for Saturday, fans can expect intense matches and potential upsets as elite teams battle for a coveted spot on the podium.
For full coverage and match details, visit the official source on the Volleyball World website.
