Ehlers and interim partner Wüst win Hamburg Beach Pro Tour, emerge as European Championship favourites
Olympic silver medallist Nils Ehlers, playing with interim partner Lui Wüst while Clemens Wickler recovers from a shoulder injury, beat Norway's Anders Mol and Christian Sörum 22-20, 21-9 in the Hamburg final.
Hamburg title
Nils Ehlers, the 33-year-old Olympic silver medallist, won the Beach Pro Tour Elite tournament, a home event for the Hamburg-based pair, with interim partner Lui Wüst, 24, defeating the Norwegian 2021 Olympic champions and defending European champions Anders Mol and Christian Sörum 22-20, 21-9 in the final on the Galopprennbahn Horn. Ehlers has been without his long-time regular partner Clemens Wickler, 32, who is sidelined with a persistent shoulder injury and is not expected back until mid-November. The duo, who both train in Hamburg and have only been playing together since this year, delivered a performance that places them among the favourites for the upcoming European Championships.
Path to the title
The German pair's route to the trophy required three consecutive wins against elite opposition. In the quarterfinal they eliminated the Swedish world No. 1 pair Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson, recovering from losing the first set to win 18-21, 24-22, 15-10. The semifinal pitted them against the Latvian former European champions Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots, where Ehlers and Wüst again dropped the opening set before levelling at 21-19 and taking the tiebreaker 15-12. Both knockout matches tested the pair's resilience, as they lost the first set in each before raising their level to close out the contest. The pair's ability to win tight middle sets proved decisive, with the quarterfinal second set going 24-22 and the semifinal second set 21-19.
- Beat Swedish world No. 1 Hölting Nilsson/Andersson 18-21, 24-22, 15-10
- Beat Latvian ex-European champions Plavins/Fokerots 16-21, 21-19, 15-12
- Beat Norwegian Olympic champions Mol/Sörum 22-20, 21-9
Final match
In the final, the German duo turned the first set around late to take it 22-20 against the Norwegian Olympic champions from 2021. In the second set, Ehlers and Wüst built a 9-3 lead that laid the foundation for a 21-9 finish, closing out the match on the Galopprennbahn in Hamburg-Horn to the delight of the home crowd. The victory sends the interim partnership into the European Championships, which begin on Wednesday in Stare Jablonki, Poland, and run through August 16. Ehlers and Wüst will arrive at the continental event as one of the form teams, having beaten the world No. 1 pair, former European champions and the reigning Olympic gold medallists in succession.
- Set 1 — Ehlers/Wüst
- 22 points
- Set 1 — Mol/Sörum
- 20 points
- Set 2 — Ehlers/Wüst
- 21 points
- Set 2 — Mol/Sörum
- 9 points
Women's tournament
On the women's side, the 2024 European champions Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann, who also train in Hamburg, were the best-placed German pair, finishing fifth after a quarterfinal exit. They lost 16-21, 22-24 to the Italian defending champions Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth. No German women's pair advanced beyond the quarterfinal stage. The women's competition was won by the Swiss pair Nina Brunner and Tanja Hüberli, who defeated the Latvians Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova 21-19, 21-18 in the final.
Looking ahead
The European Championships in Stare Jablonki will test whether Ehlers and Wüst can carry their Hamburg form onto the continental stage. Mol and Sörum, the defending European champions whom they defeated in Hamburg, will also compete. With Wickler's absence extending to mid-November, the interim partnership will remain intact through the European season.
