Roi Et, Thailand, June 19, 2025 – Strong contenders produced impressive performances as the pool round-robin preliminaries of the 6th Asian U21 Beach Volleyball Championships concluded on Thursday at Nong Ya Ma Community School, with top two teams from each pool advancing to the decisive Round of 16 in both the men’s and women’s competitions.
The five-day double-gender tournament, which also serves as a qualification pathway to the FIVB Beach Volleyball U21 World Championships in Puebla, Mexico from October 15 to 19, 2025, saw dominant displays from leading pairs eager to secure their spots in the knockout rounds.
In the women’s event, hosts Thailand advanced all three of their teams to the Round of 16, joined by two pairs each from China, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. Teams from Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, and Lebanon also booked their berths in the next round.
Top seeds Samitta Simarongnam and Varagkhana Sogalee of Thailand, who recently claimed gold at the SAVA U21 Championships, topped Pool A with an unbeaten record following their commanding 2-0 (21-11, 21-12) win over New Zealand’s Lani Rawle and Grace Tiplady.
The Thai duo will next face compatriots Ainthira Bunpasong and Orathai Sembut in an all-Thai Round of 16 showdown. Ainthira and Orathai secured their place with a solid 2-0 (21-14, 21-15) victory against Malaysia’s Nur Auni Maisarah Shamsulrizal and Iskandar Noor Aishah in Pool B.
China’s second-seeded Jiang Kaiyue and Zhou Mingli also remained unbeaten, topping Pool B after dispatching the Malaysian duo 2-0 (21-11, 21-16). They will next meet Lebanon’s Zaouk Lynn and Louna Khorbotly.
Japan’s third-seeded Mei Mori and Noa Utsugi topped Pool C following a dominant 2-0 (21-11, 21-5) victory over Guam’s Faith Piper and Isabella Paulino.
Meanwhile, fourth seeds Cameron Zajer and Jasmine Rayner of Australia sealed top spot in Pool D with a 2-0 (21-13, 21-10) win over Uzbekistan’s Zebokhon Absamatova and Gulyora Abdurakhmonova. The Australians will next meet Kyrgyzstan’s Roza Rasulbek Kyzy and Aiturgan Aitbekova, who finished runners-up in their pool.
Other pool winners included New Zealand’s Kiana Stevenson and Tineke Hinton in Pool E, Thailand’s Somruedee Koedkaew and Suchipha Rittila in Pool F, Australia’s Matisse Conlon and Jolie Du Plessis in Pool G, and Singapore’s Ang Hui Ying and Lee Xin En Valerie in Pool H.
In the men’s event, top seeds Wichaya Wisetkan and Paphawin Manyahong of Thailand, fresh from their triumph at the SAVA U21 Championships, maintained their unbeaten streak in Pool A with a convincing 2-0 (21-11, 21-17) win over Japan’s Reo Kashiwaya and Rikuho Kashiwaki.
They will next take on Vietnam’s Phu Tho Bao and Nguyen Hoang Long, who overpowered Oman’s Al Gheilani Haitham Faraj Khamis and Al Hasni Alazhr 2-0 (21-12, 21-11).
Second seeds Finley Bennett and Benjamin Carroll of Australia, with Bennett coming off a podium finish at the FIVB Coolangatta Futures in March, topped Pool B after a 2-0 (21-14, 21-10) win against Kazakhstan’s Danilil Sorokovskiy and Alikhan Agabek. They will next challenge Lebanon’s Kouzaiha Bassam and Koss Hussein, runners-up in Pool H.
China’s Liu Yuan and Mao Yuan, seeded third, dominated Pool C with two straight-set wins on Thursday, including a hard-fought 2-0 (21-19, 33-31) victory over Lebanon’s El Chabib Hadi and Abi Karam Jad in a 54-minute battle.
Thailand’s Saiphirun Ruairung and Suranath Rattanapolsaen topped Pool D undefeated, while New Zealand’s fifth seeds Julian Jamie and Heggie Lucas secured first place in Pool E with a pair of commanding wins.
Australia’s James Kay and Harley Sinclair topped Pool F, Thailand’s Supanai Uthaijaeng and Chaloemdet Bunrot led Pool G, and Vietnam’s Pham Quoc Huy and Tran Sinh Phan captured first place in Pool H.
The knockout phase begins Friday, June 20, with the men’s matches starting at 8:00am local time, followed by the women’s matches at 3:00pm.
The top five federations at the Asian U21 Championships will earn direct qualification to the FIVB U21 World Championships, while four more federations will advance to the World Championships Qualification Tournament.
MATCH RESULTS
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POOLS
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MATCH SCHEDULE
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