Young Austrians cruise in João Pessoa Elite pool play

Austrian up-and-comers Tim Berger and Timo Hammarberg completed a flawless pool play campaign at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour João Pessoa Elite on Friday and marched to the Round of 16 in their first tournament of the year.

The Austrians were among the six pool winners that advanced to the Round of 16 in Brazil alongside the six pool runners-up and the two best third-placed teams. A 'lucky loser' round, reuniting the other four third-placed duos on Saturday, will complete the lineup of the event's first elimination round.

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Back in the international scene for the first time after ranking 17th at last year's FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship in November, the 21-year-old Berger and the 22-year-old Hammarberg emerged as the undefeated top team in Pool E after they swept (21-16, 21-18) Swiss qualifiers Marco Krattiger and Leo Dillier, earning their third-straight victory in Brazil.

On Saturday, in the Round of 16, they will play against American Olympians Miles Evans and Chase Budinger, who lost to the Argentine Capogrosso brothers Tomas and Nicolás in two sets (21-19, 21-18) on Friday, but still advanced in second place in Pool F with a win and two losses.

Pool F was won by another American duo, formed by Trevor Crabb and Robert Harrison, who defeated Brazilians Vitor Felipe and Felipe Alves 2-1 (21-14, 19-21, 15-12) to continue undefeated. They will play French Elouan Chouikh-Barbez and Joadel Gardoque, who ranked second in Pool D.

Trevor's younger brother Taylor and new partner Andy Benesh also progressed as pool winners after they downed Swedish rising stars Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson 2-1 (19-21, 21-18, 15-11) to claim the top spot in Pool B. Their Round of 16 opponents will come from one of the 'lucky loser' duels.

Evandro and Arthur win Pool A

The winners of last year's João Pessoa Elite, Brazilians Evandro Gonçalves and Arthur Lanci continued to progress for a repeat on Friday, earning their third victory in the event, a 2-0 (21-13, 21-19) sweep of Portuguese Hugo Campos and João Pedrosa that had them advance in first place in Pool A. Their next opponents will also come from the 'lucky loser' round.

Pool C was won by reigning Olympic and world champions David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig of Sweden, who continue undefeated in João Pessoa after they swept (21-13, 23-21) Brazilians George Wanderley and Saymon Barbosa. Brazilians Adelmo Folha and Mateus Dultra, who ranked third in Pool E, will be the next ones to cross their path in the event.

Finishing first in Pool D were last year's João Pessoa silver medalists Rémi Bassereau and Calvin Aye, who came out on top in an all-French battle against Chouikh-Barbez and Gardoque, triumphing in straight sets (21-19, 21-16). The Capogrossos will be their next opponents.

The two remaining Round of 16 matchups will have Krattiger and Dillier, who finished second in Pool E, facing Canadians Sam Schachter and Jonathan Pickett, who took the same spot in Pool A, and Pool B runners-up Hölting Nilsson and Andersson playing Austrians Moritz Pristauz and Philipp Waller, who ranked second in Pool C.

The two 'lucky loser' matches will feature Australian Olympians Izac Carracher and Mark Nicolaidis against the German Sagstetter brothers Jonas and Benedikt and an all-Brazilian affair involving George/Saymon and Arthur Mariano/Adrielson dos Santos.

Beach Pro Tour João Pessoa Elite - Match Schedule & Results

The 'lucky loser' matches are set to start at 10:00 local time (13:00 UTC), with the Round of 16 encounters going from 11:00 (14:00 UTC) to 14:00 (17:00 UTC).

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