Vikings defeat Lupo/Nicolai, still on the path to besting their record of three european titles
Recap
Partnering temporarily for the A1 CEV EuroBeachVolley Vienna 2021 presented by Swatch, Nils Ehlers and Lukas Pfretzschner continue to exceed expectations at the Austrian capital as the Germans are now in the quarterfinals of the men’s tournament.
Joining forces due to an injury of Ehlers’ regular partner Lars Flüggen, the two secured an important Round of 16 victory on Friday, dominating Russians Nikita Liamin and Taras Myskiv to a straight-set (21-19, 21-17) victory on one of the A1 5G Side Courts at the Danube Island.
Nils Ehlers“It’s been amazing to play here, we’ve been getting so much support from the home fans and also some Germans who are here. Lukas has been fantastic too, he’s so young (21) and talented. It’s our first time playing together and he’s been siding out so well and handling all the pressure.”
Blocker for Germany
An U18 European champion in 2016, Pfretzschner, who played in the EuroBeachVolley in 2020 with Philipp Bergmann to finish 17th, is enjoying his successful run with Ehlers in Vienna.
Simon Pfretzschner“It’s my second EuroBeachVolley but the first with that many fans, it’s been so much fun to play here.”
Defender for Germany
The Germans’ next opponents in the tournament will be Dutch Olympic medalists Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen, who knocked Tokyo semifinalists Martins Plavins and Edgars Tocs of Latvia with a 2-0 (21-15, 21-18) win at the Red Bull Beach Arena.