The Swedes, who are second-seeded in the championship, defeated the Italian pair Samuele Cottafava/Alex Ranghieri in the pool play.
Last year, the Swedes refrained from playing the European Championship since they were worn out after the Olympic Games in Paris.
Also the new Swedish beach volleyball pair Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson won their first match (2–1). They met the home players Lukas Pfretzschner and Sven Winter on the centre court in Düsseldorf where they won the first set with 21–17, lost the second with 17–21 but then won the decisive one clearly with 15–8.
