Back on the sand for the first time since they took bronze at the Paris 2024 Games two weeks ago at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Hamburg Elite16, Nina Brunner and Tanja Hüberli had to show the game that took them to the Olympic podium on Friday in order to advance to the quarterfinals of the German event.

• Watch Beach Pro Tour Hamburg Elite16 matches live on VBTV

One of four women’s teams qualified to the quarterfinals alongside compatriots Joana Mäder and Anouk Vergé-Dépré, Germany's Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann and the Netherlands' Katja Stam and Raisa Schoon, the Swiss had to triumph in a pair of three-setters to claim first place in Pool B and earn the right to skip the Round of 12 at the Am Rothenbaum Stadium.

The Round of 12 will have Lithuania's Monika Paulikiene/Aine Raupelyte against Italy's Reka Orsi Toth/Giada Bianchi, Finland's Taru Lathi/Niina Athiainen meeting Italy's Marta Menegatti/Valentina Gottardi, Austria's Dorina Klinger/Ronja Klinger versus Brazil's Thamela Coradelo/Victoria Lopes and Germany's Laura Ludwig/Louisa Lippmann facing USA's Julia Scoles/Betsi Flint.

Brunner and Hüberli, who won their first Beach Pro Tour gold earlier this year in Tepic, started their campaign in Hamburg with a straight-set victory over Dutch Brecht Piersma and Wies Bekhuis on Thursday.

Back on the court to complete their Pool B schedule on Friday, the two-time European champions were strongly challenged but passed the test, coming from behind twice to beat Thamela and Victoria 2-1 (17-21, 21-18, 15-12) and Menegatti and Gottardi also 2-1 (17-21, 21-14, 16-14).

The Swiss ended pool play with six points, in first place, and advanced directly to the quarterfinals - Brazilians, with five points, and Italians, with four, ranked second and third and will play in the Round of 12.

Stam and Schoon also undefeated

Dutch Stam and Schoon also had two pool matches to play on Friday, but needed just two sets to prevail in each of them, claiming the top spot in Pool C with six points.

The two-time Olympians topped Brazilians Hegeile ‘Hege’ Almeida and Vitoria Rodrigues 2-0 (21-12, 21-18) in their first match of the day and repeated the 2-0 (28-26, 21-17) scoreline against Scoles and Flint later.

The Americans advanced in second place with five points, while Orsi Toth and Bianchi were third, with four.

Home favorites Müller and Tillmann matched the Dutch campaign in Pool A, getting three victories and dropping just one set. The recently-crowned European champions dropped their only set so far on Friday, but came back to beat the Austrian Klinger sisters 2-1 (20-22, 21-16, 15-10). The Klingers advanced in second place, alongside Lathi and Athiainen, who were third.

Beach Pro Tour Hamburg Elite16 – Match Schedule and Results

Pool D had two teams with five points (two wins, one loss) – Mäder and Vergé-Dépré, who topped Brazilians Ágatha Bednarczuk and Rebecca Cavalcanti 2-0 (21-19, 21-18), and Paulikiene and Raupelyte, who fell to Ludwig and Lippmann also 2-0 (21-17, 21-16).

The Swiss had the edge in the tie-breakers and took the direct spot in the quarterfinals, while the Lithuanians will play in the Round of 12 alongside the Germans, who will get to play at least another match together before Ludwig ends her international career.

Saturday’s schedule in Hamburg will feature Round of 12 and quarterfinal matches for the women. The semifinals and medal matches will be held on Sunday.

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