Olympic silver medalists Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler emerged victorious in Pool D at the 2025 Beach Pro Tour Baden Challenge in Austria, advancing directly to the Round of 16. The German beach volleyball pair, buoyed by recent success at Paris 2024, won both of their pool matches, including a demanding tiebreaker against Chile’s Marco and Esteban Grimalt.
The Baden Challenge is one of the prominent stops on the global Beach Pro Tour, uniting elite teams from around the world in pursuit of critical ranking points and podium finishes. Despite not making it to a semifinal so far this season, Ehlers and Wickler appear rejuvenated as they prepare to battle Spain’s Adrián Gavira and Alejandro Huerta in Saturday’s Round of 16.
The home crowd had cause to celebrate as Austrian duo Tim Berger and Timo Hammarberg dominated Pool A, securing their progression following a commanding win over Brazil’s Vinícius Freitas and Heitor Benito. Their next encounter is against Israel’s Eylon Elazar and Kevin Cuzmiciov, who advanced by defeating fellow countrymen Christoph Dressler and Philipp Waller.
Other Pool Winners Advancing to Round of 16
- Sergiy Popov and Eduard Reznik (Ukraine)
- Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson (Sweden)
- Hugo Campos and João Pedrosa (Portugal)
- Rémi Bassereau and Calvin Aye (France)
- Alex Ranghieri and Manuel Alfieri (Italy)
- Adrian Heidrich and Jonathan Jordan (Switzerland)
Competition heats up on Saturday with both the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, paving the way for Sunday’s semifinals and medal matches.
With Olympic ambitions high and new teams emerging, the Baden Challenge stays a pivotal event on the 2025 beach volleyball calendar, offering momentum to those striving for international greatness.
For full event details, visit the official Beach Pro Tour Baden Challenge website.
