Waller and Pristauz advance to the quarterfinals in Gstaad

Gstaad as a stop on the Elite series

The tournament in Gstaad is part of the international Beach Volleyball Pro Tour series and is one of the higher-prize-money stops on the calendar. At an Elite16 tournament, the world's top teams compete, collecting points for the world rankings. The quarterfinal appearance is therefore a sportingly significant result for Waller and Pristauz.

In addition to the men's duo, Austrian women are also represented in Gstaad. Dorina Klinger and Ronja Klinger advanced to the round of 16 as group runners-up despite a close 1-2 loss (-31, 13, -15) to the Swiss local favorites Joana Mäder and Leona Kernen. The sisters faced their next challenge in the main draw.

Hammarberg and Berger eliminated

The tournament was less successful for the second Austrian men's duo. Timo Hammarberg and Tim Berger were eliminated in the intermediate round. They fell to the Brazilian duo Evandro/Arthur 1-2 (-17, 16, -14) and missed out on a place in the final eight.

Gstaad in the Bernese Oberland is a traditional venue for beach volleyball. The facility on the meadow against an alpine backdrop is considered one of the most atmospheric tournaments on the Pro Tour. The Elite16 format also brings compact match days with clear promotion and elimination rounds.

Outlook on the quarterfinals

For Waller and Pristauz, the decisive phase of the tournament is within reach with the quarterfinals. In this round, the remaining eight teams face each other before the semifinals and final take place over the weekend. A win in the quarterfinals would secure the two Austrians further prize money as well as additional world ranking points.

The situation ahead of the quarterfinals is open: the available facts do not contain any information about Waller/Pristauz's opponent in the quarterfinals. The duo will go into the next match with confidence after their clear round-of-16 victory.

Overall, the Austrian showing in Gstaad presents a mixed picture: while Waller/Pristauz reached the quarterfinals and the Klinger sisters advanced to the round of 16, it was the end of the line for Hammarberg/Berger in the intermediate round. The men's duo thus remains the last remaining Austrian hope in the main draw.