David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig showcased their championship form by defeating fellow Swedes Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson in a domestic showdown at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Elite event in Montreal on Friday.
The reigning Olympic champions swept their compatriots 2-0 (21-12, 21-15) to win Pool B with a perfect record of three victories without dropping a single set. This victory secured them a direct spot in Saturday's quarterfinals at Parc Jean-Drapeau.
Before their clash, both Swedish teams had been undefeated in the tournament, making their encounter particularly significant for pool standings. This marks the second time in less than two months that Åhman and Hellvig have bested their fellow countrymen.
Three other duos also secured top spots in their respective pools, earning automatic quarterfinal berths. In Pool A, Norway's Anders Mol and Christian Sørum managed to retain first place despite suffering a surprising upset against Argentina's Nicolas and Tomas Capogrosso brothers, who took down the FIVB World Ranking leaders in a thrilling tie-breaker (17-21, 23-21, 16-14).
Pool D featured a dramatic three-way tie for first, with Czech world champions Ondřej Perušič and David Schweiner emerging victorious after defeating Americans Miles Partain and Andy Benesh but falling to Brazilians Evandro Gonçalves and Arthur Lanci.
In Pool C, Poland's Michal Bryl and Bartosz Łosiak confirmed their top position after receiving a forfeit win when Qatari Olympic medalists Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan were forced to withdraw due to injury.
Saturday's schedule kicks off with the Round of 12 matches featuring teams that placed second and third in their pools. The competition will continue through the weekend, with medal matches set for Sunday to conclude the event.
Interestingly, this Montreal tournament represents another step in the beach volleyball calendar following the Paris Olympics, where Åhman and Hellvig stunned the volleyball world with their gold medal performance. Can they maintain their momentum and add another title to their growing collection?
